Definitions

• GENOCIDE:

  A coordinated plan of actions aimed at the destruction of a national, ethnic, religious or racial group, including the destruction of that group's political and social rights, economic existence, personal security, liberty, health, dignity and even lives. Genocide is directed against the group as an entity and actions are directed against individuals as members of the group.

  The above definition is that of Raphael Lemkin, a Polish Jew who emigrated to the USA and taught at Yale and Duke Universities. He coined the word "genocide;" therefore his definition is the most widely accepted.

• CIVIL INJUSTICE:

  The deprivation of the political, civil, economic or social rights of a large number of people, by a government or governmentally sponsored organization. Civil injustice can include the following:
  -- the destruction of or attempt to destroy a nation's independence
  -- starvation or forced migration of a large group of people
  -- removal of a group to a remote area for political reasons
  -- government-sanctioned incarceration or mass murder
  Civil injustice in this context applies to a group because of its common characteristics, such as nationality, ethnicity or political views.

• POLICIDE:

  The deprivation of a group's political existence or legal rights. Generally, this type of injustice is accompanied by other civil injustice.