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The Be Heard Project is a voice for the persecuted Church. Through law, public policy, and grassroots action, we amplify your voice to demand that world governments respect the most basic human rights and human dignity of persecuted believers. Join with us today and Be Heard.

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Pakistan High Court To Hear a Major Blasphemy Case

Sep. 27Pakistan High Court To Hear a...

Many of you know about Shahzad Masih, a young Christian man who was only 16 years old when he was arrested in July 2017 over a false accusation of blasphemy. He was sentenced to death by hanging in November 2022 by a trial court in Pakistan. Shahzad’s only “crime” was that he told his Muslim co-worker that his father’s Muslim friend, Ali, uses...More

ACLJ Taking Action To Save Another Young Christian Sentenced to Death...

Sep. 19ACLJ Taking Urgent Legal Action To...

ACLJ Files UPR at U.N. HRC Urging Intervention for Christian Pastor

Aug. 27ACLJ Files Urgent UPR at U.N.

Azerbaijan Is Violently Erasing Armenian Christian Heritage

Aug. 16Cultural Genocide: Azerbaijan Is...

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Active Cases

Jewish Iranian Sentenced to Death

Jewish Iranian Sentenced to Death

Iran is preparing to execute an innocent young man because he’s Jewish, and he’s running out of time. The ACLJ is advocating for his life at the United Nations, having just filed an urgent complaint with the U.N.’s Special Procedures seeking swift international intervention to stop the execution and overturn this...More

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Save Christian Pastor Raymond Koh

Save Christian Pastor Raymond Koh

Free the Israeli Hostages from Hamas

Free the Israeli Hostages from...

Save Christian Ayub Brothers

Save Christian Ayub Brothers

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Engage in our advocacy by signing petitions and support these men and women daily through prayer.

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Christians Beheaded, Mutilated, Raped, and Tortured

In the Middle East, ISIS jihadists massacre Christians. Those who survive are raped and sold into slavery. It's a...

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Christians Facing Genocide

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Christians Beheaded, Mutilated, Raped, and Tortured

In the Middle East, ISIS jihadists massacre Christians. Those who survive are raped and sold into slavery. It's a...

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Petition

MAR // 2018

Protect Christians. Recognize and End Genocide.

803,325

Signatures //

ISIS has been waging a brutal genocide against Christians.

It barbarically slaughtered thousands and drove hundreds of thousands of Christians from their homes in the wake of its inhuman genocide.

It’s sickening: Christians have been beheaded, burned alive, and crucified.

ISIS has been weakened, losing extensive territory. They’re on the run. But Christians returning home to rebuild still face the threat of genocide.

We have an obligation to act. Under the Genocide convention, the international community must recognize this genocide against Christians.

We’ve launched a multi-pronged legal advocacy campaign, urging the U.S., U.N., and world leaders to adopt our critical policy proposals: 1) protect Christians and 2) recognize and end the genocide.

We’ve mobilized our global offices in the most expansive campaign for the persecuted Church ever undertaken, preparing numerous legal memoranda, advocacy letters, and policy proposals. We’re making tremendous progress, but we need you.

Together we can protect Christians from the scourge of jihadist genocide. Add your name:

Petition to Protect Christians and Recognize and End the Genocide

In the News

DEC // 2024

Turkey’s Persecution of Christians and Other Minorities

Wesley Smith  //

Nov 08, 2019

Last week I wrote about the atrocities committed by Turkey as it continues its invasion of northeastern Syria and its failure to keep the terms of the supposed ceasefire they pledged to the United States and...

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Defending Persecuted Christians at the United Nations

Paul Archuleta  //

Jul 11, 2019

Through our European affiliate, the European Centre for Law and Justice (ECLJ), we filed a written submission before the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) detailing the spread of religiously...

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Demanding the U.N. Acknowledge the ISIS Genocide of Christians and...

ACLJ.org  //

Jun 29, 2018

There is still a mass humanitarian crisis in the Middle East. Christians in Iraq are in grave danger. The International community can no longer turn a blind eye. We’ve once again taken direct action at the...

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Story

Outside the gates of the Dachau concentration camp, scripted on a memorial commemorating the millions of lives lost in the Holocaust, are the words "Never Again." Yet, modern history is haunted by acts of brutal violence from the mass killings in Kosovo, Cambodia, and Burundi to the genocides in Rwanda and Darfur. American leaders continue to vow "Never Again," yet repeatedly fail to stop genocide.

ISIS continues its rampage of beheadings, torture, sexual enslavement, mass rape, forced evictions, and other atrocities, intentionally targeting Christians and other religious minorities in the region. It's genocide. The Obama Administration has recognized this fact, and now it is time to take action to stop the genocide and protect Christians.

As we reported earlier this year:

"ISIS members have killed Yazidis and Christians by the thousands, have enslaved and raped thousands more because of their religion, and have destroyed their places of worship and their homes. ISIS intends to kill all Christians if they do not convert, pay jizya, or flee. This genocide and terror are leading to the violent suppression of the Christians from their region of origin."

With your support, the ACLJ was successful in our vigorous campaign to have the United States declare that ISIS's genocidal slaughter and abuse of Christians was, in fact, a "genocide against . . . Christians." This is a tremendous victory, however, securing the genocide declaration was just the first step. We must do more.

We have a moral duty to act, but we have a legal obligation to act as well.

We must honor our contractual commitments - commitments we made by ratifying the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide - to stop the genocide and protect the Christians and other religious minorities targeted by ISIS for systematic extermination.

But what, specifically, can our government do? What are our obligations? What diplomatic, legal, humanitarian, or even military avenues are available to stop the genocide and protect the victims?

Article I of the Genocide Convention establishes a duty for contracting states to "prevent and to punish" genocide. Article 8 articulates one of the mechanisms available to effectuate that duty: "Any Contracting Party may call upon the competent organs of the United Nations to take such action" as "appropriate for the prevention and suppression of acts of genocide." Now that the United States has legally recognized the genocide, and thus implicated the Genocide Convention, we must urge all relevant officials and entities to act according to its terms. We ratified the Genocide Convention; now we must honor our word.

The ACLJ proposes the following 7-point strategy to carry out our moral and treaty-based obligations. Each of these policy proposals fall under two primary objectives: 1) stop the genocide and 2) protect Christians and other religious minorities.

First, call upon the United Nations (U.N.) Secretary General and the High Commissioner for Human Rights to formally recognize the genocide against Christians and demand that the U.N. as a whole do so as well - as have the U.S. Department of State, the U.S. House of Representatives, the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, the Holy See's representative at the U.N. in Geneva and Pope Francis, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, and the European Parliament.

The U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights has acknowledged the international community's duty to act stating, "To take one utterly shameful example, despite the horrific human rights violations in Syria that have been investigated, enumerated, discussed, we must continue to deplore the international community's failure to act."

The U.N. Secretary General has already recognized the international community's "responsibility to use appropriate diplomatic, humanitarian and other peaceful means, in accordance with Chapters VI and VIII of the Charter, to help to protect populations from genocide." So has the U.N. General Assembly. The U.N. must now recognize the ongoing ISIS atrocities as genocide against Christians and other religious minorities and act.

Time is of the essence: In June 2016, the U.N. Human Rights Council will hold its 32nd session, where the High Commissioner will have an opportunity to address the Council and request that action be taken to stop the genocide in Iraq and Syria and protect the victims.

Second, call upon the U.N. Office of Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide to fulfill its role "as a catalyst . . . to alert relevant actors where there is a risk of genocide, and to advocate and mobilize for appropriate action" – "appropriate action" being any action that stops this genocide.

Third, call upon the U.N. Security Council to refer the matter of genocide prosecution to the International Criminal Court; or establish "ad hoc tribunals" for genocide prosecution as was done in response to the horrific genocides in Rwanda and Yugoslavia. These mechanisms are appropriate under the circumstances and based on international law and precedent. We will also urge the U.N. Security Council to consider all options available to it (including resolutions, military, and peacekeeping initiatives) to stop the genocide and protect Christians.

Fourth, demand international intervention, by any means necessary, to protect Christians and other religious minorities from genocide. International law requires that when a State (such as Syria and Iraq) "is manifestly failing to protect its populations" from genocide – as the countries overrun by ISIS's jihadist army are clearly incapable of stopping the genocide against Christians – "the international community must be prepared to take collective action to protect populations . . . ." We must assist in making the case that the contracting states involved here, Iraq and Syria, are incapable of prosecuting genocide and protecting Christians from genocide – thus activating the international community's duty to act.

Fifth, call upon the President, the U.S. Department of State, and the U.S. delegation to the U.N. to demand U.N. action as set forth above. It is the Executive Branch that speaks as the voice of the United States with respect to foreign affairs and our diplomatic relations with the international community. That is why we urged Secretary of State John Kerry to recognize ISIS's atrocities as genocide against Christians. And that is why we will call upon the Executive Branch to follow through on our commitments at the U.N.

We will also call upon relevant Congressional Committees and Members of Congress to apply this same pressure, through appropriate channels, to the Executive Branch offices identified above. On this front, it is critical that Members of Congress hear from their constituents.

Sixth, call for the establishment of in-region "safe zones" for the genocide victims. This step reflects the duty to protect Christians victimized by ISIS, and continues the ACLJ's "fifth" policy point regarding the Syrian refugee crisis: "The creation of ‘safe zones' addresses the need to protect the persecuted, while still protecting the national security interests of the United States."

Seventh, call for the creation of an effective international coalition to defeat ISIS militarily, for example, by expanding military efforts, changing the focus of the effort, and/or reevaluating the strategy of military action. We agree with Pope Francis, who has recognized that military force is justified to stop the genocide against Christians. The status quo is insufficient. This continues the ACLJ's "third" policy point regarding the Syrian refugee crisis: "We must destroy ISIS once and for all to provide a sustainable and lasting solution for the approximately 10 million refugees who have been displaced," many of whom are Christians or adherents to minority religious beliefs.

As part of our sustained, comprehensive and intentional effort to see that all diplomatic, legal, and military options are utilized, we will develop these steps into specific policy and action recommendations based on both law and precedent; articulate our recommendations in legal correspondence to the appropriate parties; and, take action through other appropriate channels, for example, by utilizing our affiliate, the European Centre for Law and Justice (as we've done before), which is credentialed as a Non-Government Organization (NGO) at the U.N., as well as scholarly organizations such as the M.G. Robertson Global Centre for Law & Public Policy. We will also continue to coordinate our efforts with strategic faith-based partners.

We have covered significant ground in our efforts to stop ISIS genocide and protect Christians. But much remains to be done. We must seize the momentum and press on. We must do our part to turn the tide of international apathy. Words are not enough. The international community must act and it must act now.

The U.S. government has now officially recognized the "genocide against . . . Christians," triggering our obligations under the Genocide Convention. We have a moral duty to lead the way in stopping the genocide and protecting Christians.

But we need your voice, and we need your support. We will keep you informed along the way, and as we implement this comprehensive plan, we must hear from you.

Stand with us against the genocidal slaughter and abuse perpetrated by ISIS. Sign our new petition today. Now there can be no doubt. It's genocide. Join us as we demand that the U.S. lead the international community to stop the genocide and protect Christians.

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American Center for Law and Justice | Washington D.C. | Copyright © 2024, ACLJ | Privacy & Security Policy | Annual Report

Be Heard Project is a project of the American Center for Law and Justice. American Center for Law and Justice is a d/b/a for Christian Advocates Serving Evangelism, Inc., a tax-exempt, not-for-profit, religious corporation as defined under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, specifically dedicated to the ideal that religious freedom and freedom of speech are inalienable, God-given rights. The Center's purpose is to engage legal, legislative and cultural issues by implementing an effective strategy of advocacy, education and litigation to ensure that those rights are protected under the law. The organization has participated in numerous cases before the Supreme Court, Federal Court of Appeals, Federal District Courts, and various state courts regarding freedom of religion and freedom of speech. Your gift is very much appreciated and fully deductible as a charitable contribution. A copy of our latest financial report may be obtained by writing to us at P.O. Box 90555, Washington, DC 20090-0555.