10 Most Cruel Genocide Tragedies in History, One of the Human Rights Violations

10 Most Cruel Genocide Tragedies in History, One of the Human Rights Violations

One of the most famous examples of genocide is the Holocaust in Germany carried out by Adolf Hitler and the Nazi group. 

Illustration: Rino Abonita

 Genocide is one of the most horrific human atrocities in history. It refers to systematic actions to destroy or kill a particular ethnic, religious, or racial group. The term "genocide" itself comes from Greek ("genos" for race, tribe, or nation) and Latin ("cide" for murder). This term directly reflects the aim of the action, namely mass murder with the intention of exterminating a particular group. 

One of the most famous examples of genocide is the Holocaust in Germany carried out by Adolf Hitler and the Nazi group. This was a very tragic massacre of the Jews and recorded a large number of deaths. Genocide not only violates the principles of Human Rights (HAM), but is also considered one of the gravest crimes that humans can commit. 

Even though history records tragedies such as the Holocaust, genocide still continues to occur today. For example, the situation in Palestine shows that there are still groups that carry out acts of genocide to destroy a particular group. These actions cannot be justified in any context, as genocide always results in mass destruction and the loss of millions of innocent lives. The following is a review of the cruelest genocide that has ever occurred in history, summarized by Liputan6.com from various sources, Friday (31/5/2024). 

1. Rwandan Genocide

Rwandan Genocide memorial site in Nyamata (Inishheer/Wikimedia/Creative Commons)

The Rwandan genocide occurred in 1994, when approximately 800,000 ethnic Tutsis and moderate Hutu were massacred by an extremist Hutu group known as the Interahamwe. This event began after the assassination of the President of Rwanda, Juvenal Habyarimana. The motive is thought to be related to protests against Habyarimana's plan to unite ethnicities in Rwanda. 

Within 100 days, mass murder occurred in which no less than 800,000 ethnic Tutsis were killed. Tragically, the international community is not paying enough attention and ignoring this dire situation. 

2. The Namibian Genocide

The Namibian genocide occurred during the Wateberg War in 1904, when German troops under General Lothar von Trotha hunted down the Herero and Nama tribes. About 60,000 Herero people and 10,000 Nama people died in these brutal attacks. 

Those who survived were forced into exile in the desert, causing thousands to die of thirst and starvation. This genocide is one of the earliest clearly documented examples of modern genocide. 

3. Khmer Rouge tragedy in Cambodia

The genocide carried out by the Khmer Rouge regime in Cambodia in 1975-1979 was one of the most horrific in history. It is estimated that around 1.7 million people died or around 21% of Cambodia's population at that time. This regime was led by Pol Pot and combined extreme ideology with inhumane cruelty. Cambodians were forced to work non-stop, sufficient food was not available, and anyone who did not comply with the regime's demands was summarily executed. 

4. Armenian Genocide (1915-1923)

Photo of children victims of the Armenian Genocide. Doc: The Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute site

The Armenian Genocide was one of the cruelest genocides that occurred during World War I. An estimated 1.5 to 2 million Armenians died under extremely poor conditions, including mass murder, deportation, starvation, and torture. These victims included women, children, and men. This event became one of the earliest examples of modern genocide and had a profound impact on Armenian history. 

5. Holocaust

The Holocaust was a genocidal event that occurred during World War II under Nazi Germany. Adolf Hitler and the Nazi regime launched a systematic campaign to exterminate approximately 6 million Jews. Apart from Jews, other victims included Romani, disabled people, communists, homosexuals and other minority groups. The methods of massacre used included the use of concentration camps, extermination camps, mass shootings, and inhumane medical experiments. 

6. Stalin's regime

While not genocide in the direct sense, Stalin's regime in the Soviet Union caused massive suffering and death among its population. One famous phase was the "Great Terror" between 1936 and 1938, in which millions of people were accused of being "enemies of the state" and executed or sent to forced labor camps. Stalin's agricultural collectivization policies in the early 1930s also led to a mass famine in Ukraine known as the Holodomor, which some consider a genocide. 

7. Sudan (Darfur) Genocide

The genocidal events in Darfur, Sudan, in early 2003, were the result of conflict between rebels in Darfur demanding better political and economic rights and the Sudanese government which formed the Janjaweed militia to fight the rebels. This conflict left tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of people dead, with many people forced to flee or lose their homes due to violence and ethnic cleansing policies. 

8. Yazidi genocide in Iraq

A 19-year-old Yazidi girl said she fled to Germany because she met someone who had held her captive. Gad... 

The genocide that occurred against the Yazidi community in Iraq in 2014 began with the ISIS militant group attacking the Sinjar area which was inhabited by the Yazidi community. These attacks resulted in great suffering and mass ethnic cleansing of the Yazidi people. In August 2014, ISIS launched an attack in the Sinjar region with the aim of expelling or killing Yazidis from the area. Thousands of Yazidis were killed in the attacks, while thousands more were captured or sold as sex slaves. Many of the survivors were forced to flee to the mountains, facing extremely difficult and suffering living conditions. 

9. Rohingya Genocide (Myanmar)

The genocide against the Rohingya people in Myanmar in 2017 involved a large-scale military operation by Myanmar security forces in response to attacks by the Rohingya rebel group. These operations were accompanied by systematic and widespread human rights violations, including mass killings, rape, and burning of Rohingya villages. More than 700,000 Rohingya fled Myanmar to escape the violence, and many, including the UN, have called the events a genocide. 

10. Mao Zedong Regime (China)

During Mao Zedong's reign in China, there were a series of political campaigns and economic policies that had a major impact on Chinese society. One of the most dramatic periods was the "Cultural Revolution" that lasted from 1966 to 1976, during which millions of people were detained, exiled, or even executed for their perceived disloyalty to Maoist communist ideology. Apart from that, there was destruction of various aspects of cultural and economic life.