UN Experts Say Epstein Files Point to Possible Crimes Against Humanity

By Staff, Agencies

United Nations appointed experts said millions of files linked to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein point to a "global criminal enterprise" committing acts that may qualify as crimes against humanity.

The experts said crimes outlined in documents released by the US justice department were committed against a backdrop of supremacist beliefs, racism, corruption and extreme misogyny.

The crimes, they said, showed a commodification and dehumanisation of women and girls.

“So grave is the scale, nature, systematic character, and transnational reach of these atrocities against women and girls, that a number of them may reasonably meet the legal threshold of crimes against humanity,” they said in a statement.

The experts said the allegations contained in the files require an independent, thorough and impartial investigation, and said inquiries should also be launched into how it was possible for such crimes to be committed for so long.

The US justice department 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 also raised concerns about “serious compliance failures and botched redactions” that exposed sensitive victim information. More than 1,200 victims were identified in the documents that have been released so far.

The reluctance to fully disclose information or broaden investigations, has left many survivors feeling retraumatised and subjected to what they describe as ‘institutional gaslighting’,” the experts said.

Justice Department documents reveal Epstein’s links to prominent figures across politics, finance, academia, and business; he died by suicide in 2019 after facing new federal sex trafficking charges.