Human Rights Violations Vocabulary

Flashcards covering key vocabulary and figures from Chapter 12 on Human Rights Violations.

Genocide

The effort to murder an entire people or nationality.

Final Solution

Adolph Hitler's plan for the genocide of Jewish people in Europe during World War II.

Holocaust

The systematic genocide of European Jews during World War II.

Nuremberg Trials

Trials held after World War II where Nazi leaders were tried for "crimes against humanity."

Tokyo Trials (1946–1948)

Military tribunal that put Japanese officials on trial for violations of human rights, specifically abuses against Chinese civilians and brutal treatment of Allied prisoners of war.

UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights

A declaration adopted in 1948 that lists thirty major rights that form the basis of a democratic society.

International Court of Justice

An international court that settles disputes submitted by U.N. members.

International Criminal Court

An international court that hears cases of persons accused of genocide and war crimes; it is a court of last resort.

Apartheid

A policy of racial "separateness" implemented in South Africa to ensure white South Africans would dominate society.

Amnesty International

An organization made up of people who seek human rights for all people and work to seek justice for people whose rights have been violated.

Children's Defense Fund (CDF)

An organization that champions policies to lift children out of poverty and protect them from abuse and neglect.

Human Rights Watch

An organization that protects people's rights around the globe and exposes violations such as torture, violence against women, and child exploitation.

Augusto Pinochet

A brutal, corrupt dictator and human rights abuser who ruled Chile for nearly two decades after leading a military coup in 1973.

Deng Xiaoping

A Chinese leader who implemented economic reforms but also suppressed pro-democracy movements and imposed strict population control policies.

Slobodan Milošević

Leader accused of ethnic cleansing during the civil war in Yugoslavia, tried by the International Criminal Tribunal for human rights violations.

Nelson Mandela

An outspoken leader against apartheid in South Africa, imprisoned for life but later released and elected as South Africa's first black president.

Aung San Suu Kyi

A human rights activist in Burma (Myanmar) who was placed under house arrest for defying the military government, later released and awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo

Mothers and relatives in Argentina who sought to pressure the government for information about their "disappeared" children and loved ones during the military rule.

Khmer Rouge

The communist group who seized control of Cambodia, led by Pol Pot, and implemented policies of mass murder and forced relocation.

Janjaweed

A government-backed militia of Arab tribesmen in Darfur, Sudan, responsible for atrocities against the black African population.