{"id":12630,"date":"2026-02-18T14:08:02","date_gmt":"2026-02-18T14:08:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/?p=12630"},"modified":"2026-02-18T14:08:02","modified_gmt":"2026-02-18T14:08:02","slug":"un-panel-says-epstein-abuses-may-constitute-crimes-against-humanity-united-nations-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/?p=12630","title":{"rendered":"UN panel says Epstein abuses may constitute \u2018crimes against humanity\u2019 | United Nations News"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div id=\"\">\n<p class=\"article__subhead\"><em>Experts say newly recently released documents show the need for an independent investigation into Epstein\u2019s sex-trafficking ring.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div><button class=\"article-listen-container\" aria-labelledby=\"listen-text listen-duration\" data-testid=\"listen-to-article-button\"><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"article-listen-container__text\" data-testid=\"listen-to-article-text\">Listen to this article<\/span><span aria-hidden=\"true\">\u00a0|\u00a0<\/span><span class=\"article-listen-container__duration\">4 mins<\/span><\/p>\n<p><\/button><button tabindex=\"0\" class=\"tooltip-accessible_trigger\"><svg class=\"icon icon--info icon--main-grey-dark icon--16 listen-to-article-tooltip__icon\" viewbox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.1\" aria-hidden=\"true\" role=\"presentation\"><title>info<\/title><path class=\"icon-main-color\" d=\"M12 0a12 12 0 1 0 0 24 12 12 0 0 0 0-24Zm-.226 3.225a2.039 2.039 0 0 1 2.155 1.924v.193a1.998 1.998 0 0 1-2.155 2.149 2.029 2.029 0 0 1-2.146-2.15 2.039 2.039 0 0 1 1.955-2.122h.193l-.002.006Zm3.227 15.525a.75.75 0 0 1-.752.75H9.75a.75.75 0 0 1-.75-.75v-1.5a.75.75 0 0 1 .752-.75h.748V12h-.75a.75.75 0 0 1-.75-.75v-1.5a.75.75 0 0 1 .752-.751h3a.75.75 0 0 1 .75.752v6.75h.75a.75.75 0 0 1 .75.749L15 18.75Z\"\/><\/svg><\/button><\/div>\n<div aria-live=\"polite\" aria-atomic=\"true\">\n<p>A group of United Nations experts have suggested that abuses carried out by convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein could meet the definition of crimes against humanity.<\/p>\n<p>On Tuesday, the independent experts appointed by the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) released a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ohchr.org\/en\/press-releases\/2026\/02\/flawed-epstein-files-disclosures-undermine-accountability-grave-crimes\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">statement<\/a> in response to the millions of files released by the United States government related to criminal investigations into Epstein.<\/p>\n<section class=\"more-on\">\n<h2 class=\"more-on__heading\">Recommended Stories<!-- --> <\/h2>\n<p><span class=\"screen-reader-text\">list of 3 items<\/span><span class=\"screen-reader-text\">end of list<\/span><\/section>\n<p>They explained that the records tell a story of dehumanisation, racism and corruption.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo grave is the scale, nature, systematic character, and transnational reach of these atrocities against women and girls, that a number of them may reasonably meet the legal threshold of crimes against humanity,\u201d the experts wrote.<\/p>\n<p>The UNHRC panel called for an investigation into allegations around Epstein and his associates, who include prominent figures in global politics, business, science and culture.<\/p>\n<p>They added that the revelations from the files suggest a \u201cglobal criminal enterprise\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAll the allegations contained in the \u2018Epstein Files\u2019 are egregious in nature and require independent, thorough, and impartial investigation, as well as inquiries to determine how such crimes could have taken place for so long,\u201d the experts said.<\/p>\n<p>The latest condemnation follows the January 30 release of 3.5 million pages of files from the US government\u2019s records on Epstein.<\/p>\n<p>The files were required to be released as part of the Epstein Files Transparency Act, a bipartisan piece of legislation signed into law in November.<\/p>\n<p>The act gave the US government 30 days to publish all of its Epstein-related documents in a searchable format, obscuring information only to protect victims\u2019 privacy.<\/p>\n<p>But the 30-day deadline came and went, with only a partial release of the files. Even the January 30 publication has been criticised as incomplete, with reports indicating that there could be more than 6 million files in the government\u2019s possession.<\/p>\n<p>The newly released documents have revealed new details about Epstein\u2019s relationships with influential figures, but few have faced accountability.<\/p>\n<p>Critics have argued that Epstein himself faced scant legal consequences for the sex crimes he perpetuated. He reached a plea deal in Florida in 2008, wherein he pleaded guilty to soliciting a child for prostitution and sex trafficking, but he only served 13 months in custody.<\/p>\n<p>He was in jail in 2019, facing federal charges, when he died by suicide in his cell.<\/p>\n<p>Epstein\u2019s ex-girlfriend, Ghislaine Maxwell, has been sentenced to more than 20 years for her role in the sex trafficking scheme.<\/p>\n<p>In Tuesday\u2019s statement, the experts on the UN panel slammed the heavy redactions in the Epstein files that appear to shield the identities of powerful figures.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe reluctance to fully disclose information or broaden investigations, has left many survivors feeling retraumatized and subjected to what they describe as \u2018institutional gaslighting\u2019,\u201d the UN experts said.<\/p>\n<p>Their criticism echoes similar accusations in the US. Lawmakers there have argued that the administration of President Donald Trump, a former friend of Epstein, has defied the November law by redacting documents beyond the guidelines set out by Congress.<\/p>\n<p>The experts also noted that there appeared to be \u201cbotched redactions that exposed sensitive victim information\u201d. They added that more must be done to ensure justice for the survivors.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAny suggestion that it is time to move on from the \u2018Epstein files\u2019 is unacceptable. It represents a failure of responsibility towards victims,\u201d they said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><br \/><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Experts say newly recently released documents show the need for an independent investigation into Epstein\u2019s sex-trafficking ring. Listen to this article\u00a0|\u00a04 mins info A group of United Nations experts have suggested that abuses carried out by convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein could meet the definition of crimes against humanity. On Tuesday, the independent experts appointed [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":11829,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12630","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-us-canada-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12630","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=12630"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12630\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/11829"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=12630"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=12630"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=12630"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}