24 No. 69 JUSTICE There is reason to believe that the interpretation of the Genocide Convention may be revisited to include political genocide under the broader definition of genocide. 4. Conclusion This article addressed the question of whether the time has come to revisit the definition of genocide in the Genocide Convention and include two forms of genocide that were intended for inclusion by the draftsmen of the convention but were eventually excised from the convention's final provisions. The article answered these questions in the affirmative. It provided theoretical and practical arguments for including cultural and political genocide in the definition of genocide and presented their implications for current events, such as the genocide of the Uyghurs in China, and for past events (that are nevertheless still dealt with by national and international courts) such as the mass atrocities committed in Cambodia between 1975 and 1979. The argument for broadening the definition of genocide stems from the view that the legal concept of genocide in general and in international criminal law in particular is just one aspect of the broad phenomenon of genocide. While the broadening of the definition of genocide may have direct legal implications (such as providing evidence for anticipated acts of genocide and their prevention), it will also have implications for the interpretation of genocide in other contexts. Such interpretation is required for a more nuanced and accurate understanding of the concept of genocide that may serve as well for fulfilling the most important mission of combatting genocides and aiming at their eradication. n Dr. Hilly Moodrick-Even Khen is a Senior Lecturer of international law at the Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities in Ariel University, and chair of Ariel University Center for the Research and Study of Genocide (AUCRSG). Her research interests are international humanitarian law, international criminal law, and genocide studies. In addition to her publications in scientific journals, Dr. Moodrick-Even Khen published two books and two edited volumes. The most recent one is: The Syrian War: Between Justice and Political Reality (co-edited with Nir Boms and Sareta Ashraph, CUP, 2020).
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MjgzNzA=