This post sheds light on the role of religious leaders in atrocity risk situations. While the role of non-state actors in crisis scenarios has gained considerable attention internationally, the specific contributions of religious leaders to atrocity prevention have been predominantly studied in the closely-related field of peacebuilding.

This blog entry explores the different manifestations of religion and belief systems in mass atrocity dynamics, and illustrates the relevance of R2P and atrocity prevention to the freedom of religion and belief (FoRB) agenda.

There is an “atrocity gap” in international human rights protection that needs to be closed for an effective application of R2P online as well as in the real world.

Many have identified FoRB as a political instrument that could help ease the crisis for the Rohingya. Such an emphasis on religious freedom may not be helpful.

Several systems of risk assessment and early warning of mass atrocities exist, and atrocity crimes such as genocide and political mass violence rarely come as a complete surprise.