No one should be above the law and beyond the reach of justice, independent UN experts reminded on Friday after the publication of contacts and acquaintances, including world-famous figures, of American financier Jeffrey Epstein, who is accused of sex crimes.
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“Anyone who may have participated in or aided and abetted these heinous violent crimes against women and children, including paying for sex and pimping, must be brought to justice,” said Reem Alsalem, Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls and Mama Fatima Singhateh, Special Rapporteur on Sales, Sexual Exploitation and Violence against Children.
Jeffrey Epstein, who had strong business and political contacts around the world, was at the center of a high-profile sexual abuse scandal but was never brought to justice. He committed suicide in prison in 2019 before going to trial.
Among these approximately 150 to 180 identities, taken from thousands of pages of court documents released by the Manhattan federal judiciary, we find former US Presidents Bill Clinton (1993-2001, Democrat) and Donald Trump (2017-2021, Republican) – but without mentioning the slightest illegal or reprehensible behavior on their part.
“The way this case is handled by law enforcement and the judiciary will set an important precedent for the future.” “It will either send the message that such crimes against women and children are unacceptable, or confirm it “That power and connections protect those responsible from accountability,” said the two experts commissioned by the Human Rights Council, but the UN official did not speak on behalf of the organization.
The two experts also emphasized “the importance of protecting witnesses and victims as well as comprehensive, lasting and transformative reparations.”
“One thing is clear: cases like the Epstein case demonstrate the ongoing failure of the international community to prevent the exploitation and abuse of women and children,” they said.