Today I will not speak of any one country, any one religion, or any one community. I will speak of humanity.

Today I stand before you with a question,
one that makes us uncomfortable,
one that shakes our very souls—

Genocides have been happening since the dawn of creation,
so what difference is there between us and our ancestors?

History is not speaking, the present is.

We often say—
“Genocides are a part of history.”

But friends,
this truth is no longer history.
It is today’s headline.

Even today,
at this very moment,
on this very earth,
people are being killed—
simply because they are
weak,
a minority,
or stand in the way of power.

Recent Genocides and Mass Violence

Let’s look at some recent realities—

• Palestine (Gaza)

Where the bodies of children are being pulled from the rubble.
Hospitals, schools, refugee camps nothing is safe.
The world calls it a “conflict,”
but those dying are unarmed civilians.

• Myanmar – Rohingya Muslims

Where an entire community was told “You do not belong in this country.”
Villages were burned,
women were raped,
and millions became refugees.

•   The War in Ukraine

Where missiles rained down on cities,
the elderly, women, children—
all became fuel for the war.
The graves are mass graves,
but the pain is personal.

•  Sudan and Darfur

Where people were killed
based on their ethnic identity.
Hunger, rape, and displacement
continue even today.

•     The Tigray region of Ethiopia

Where millions were killed or died of starvation,
but the world remained silent for too long.

   Nagorno-Karabakh (Armenian region)

Where the entire population
was forced to leave their homes. Friends,
These are not isolated incidents—
They are different chapters of the same story.

The United Nations and the International Community

       We ask—

• Where was the United Nations?
• The answer is—
• There were reports,
• there were statements,
• there were emergency meetings.
• But the question is—
• Do statements save lives?
• Do resolutions wipe away tears?
• As long as the politics of powerful nations
• remain more important than human lives,
• justice will remain incomplete.

“This has always happened” — The most dangerous mindset

Friends,

When we say—
“This has always happened”

We unknowingly
become complicit in the crime.

If this mindset were true,
then even today
there would be slavery,
there would be apartheid,
women would be deprived of their rights.

Every right
was born from someone saying ‘no’.

Where does the real difference lie?

The difference is not
that genocides have occurred.

The difference lies in—

Who remained silent

Who turned away

And who stood up

The one who commits atrocities — is a criminal
The one who gives the orders — is guilty
The one who remains silent — is an accomplice
And the one who questions — is truly human

What is our role?

None of us
can change the world alone.

But together, we can
prevent the world from becoming desensitized.

Being a human rights activist
is not just about joining an organization—
it is a moral courage.

The courage to say—
“You may be powerful,
but you are not right.”

The Call of Today

Today I urge you all—

Do not reduce victims to mere numbers

Do not normalize injustice

And do not mistake silence for safety

Because
silence is never neutral,
it always sides with the powerful.

                                                                                Adv Mohd Latif Khan

                                                                                  (National President)