UN: The United Nations has sounded the alarm over newly released files linked to sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, warning that the scale and pattern of abuse outlined in the documents could amount to crimes against humanity.
Independent experts appointed by the UN Human Rights Council said the allegations point to a deep-rooted and transnational network that systematically exploited women and girls, and called for a full, impartial investigation.
The experts said crimes described in documents released by the US Department of Justice were committed on the basis of conviction, racism, corruption and extreme misogyny.
The crimes, they said, showed a commodification and dehumanization of women and girls.
“So serious is the scale, nature, systematic nature and transnational reach of these atrocities against women and girls that a number of them may reasonably reach the legal threshold of crimes against humanity,” the experts said in a statement.
The experts said the allegations in the cases require an independent, thorough and impartial investigation, and said investigations should also be launched into how it was possible for such crimes to be committed for so long.
The US Department of Justice did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
A law approved by Congress with broad bipartisan support in November requires all Epstein-related files to be made public.
The UN experts raised concerns about “serious compliance failures and erroneous redactions” that revealed sensitive information about victims. More than 1,200 victims were identified in the documents that have been released so far.
“The reluctance to fully disclose information or expand the investigation has left many survivors feeling retraumatized and subjected to what they describe as ‘institutional gaslighting,'” the experts said.
The Justice Department’s release of documents has revealed Epstein’s ties to many prominent figures in politics, finance, academia and business — both before and after he pleaded guilty in 2008 to prostitution charges, including solicitation of an underage girl.
He was found hanged in his prison cell in 2019 after being rearrested on federal charges of sex trafficking with minors. His death was ruled a suicide.
