‘No one above Law’, UN Urges Prosecution in Epstein Files
DID Press: A group of independent experts affiliated with the United Nations Human Rights Council said allegations raised in the “Epstein Files” could amount to crimes against humanity, urging all states to prosecute suspected perpetrators in competent national and international courts.
The experts, who operate under independent UN mandates and are not UN staff, warned that patterns documented in the Epstein files may meet the thresholds of international criminal law for crimes against humanity.
They said acts including rape, sexual slavery, forced prostitution, human trafficking, systematic persecution, torture, and killing—if committed as part of a widespread or systematic attack against civilians with knowledge of the attack—constitute crimes against humanity.
The experts stressed that resignation or removal from office is “not an adequate substitute for criminal accountability,” welcoming steps by some governments to investigate current and former officials as well as private individuals named in the files, and urging other states to follow suit.
The statement added that any proposal to “move on from or close the Epstein case” is unacceptable and amounts to disregarding responsibility toward victims.
Praising the courage and resilience of survivors seeking justice, the experts recalled that under international human rights law, states must prevent violence against women and girls, conduct effective and impartial investigations, and punish perpetrators—even when abuses are committed by private actors.
They noted that the scale, organized nature, and transnational dimensions of the allegations could amount to sexual slavery, reproductive violence, enforced disappearance, torture, cruel and degrading treatment, and even femicide.
“No one is so wealthy or powerful as to be above the law,” the experts said, calling for independent, comprehensive, and impartial investigations into how the crimes persisted over many years.Despite some accountability efforts in parts of Europe, serious investigations by US authorities have yet to materialize.