No one should be above the law and beyond the reach of justice, independent UN experts reminded Friday, after the publication of contacts and acquaintances, including world-famous personalities, of American financier Jeffrey Epstein accused of sex crimes.
“All those who may have participated in, or aided and abetted, these heinous crimes of violence against women and children, including paying for sex and pimping, must be brought to justice,” demanded Reem Alsalem, Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls and Mama Fatima Singhateh, special rapporteur on the sale, sexual exploitation and violence against children.
Jeffrey Epstein, who had powerful economic and political contacts all over the world, was at the center of a resounding sexual abuse scandal, but he was never tried. He committed suicide in prison in 2019 before being tried.
Among these approximately 150 to 180 identities taken from a thousand pages of court documents made public by the Manhattan federal justice system, we find former US presidents Bill Clinton (1993-2001, Democrat) and Donald Trump (2017-2021, Republican ) – but without mention of the slightest illegal or reprehensible behavior on their part.
“How this case is handled by law enforcement and the judiciary will set an important precedent for the future. “Either this will send the message that such crimes against women and children are unacceptable, or it will confirm that power and connections will protect those responsible from accountability,” said the two experts, who are commissioned by the Human Rights Council. the UN man but do not speak on behalf of the organization.
The two experts also underlined “the importance of the protection of witnesses and victims and of comprehensive, lasting, transformative reparations”.
“One thing is clear: cases like the Epstein case demonstrate the continued failure of the international community to prevent the exploitation and abuse of women and children,” they judged.
