Ethnic cleansing (also known as ethnic purification, or, more specifically, “etnic repopulation”) is the forced expulsion of one group from a territory to make way for another. It may include violence, destruction, disappearances, and forced population transfers. Attempts to carry out ethnic cleansing are a violation of international humanitarian law.
The term was invented during the Bosnian War of 1992-1995, when Serbian troops rounded up Bosniak Muslim men and boys at military bases like Srebrenica and Potocari, and killed them. These massacres, along with other crimes such as rape and persecution, were a form of ethnic cleansing. The genocidal campaign was carried out by Ratko Mladic and Radovan Karadzic, political leaders of the Bosnian Serb entity, Republika Srpska.
Although it has been practised in many places throughout history, the practice gained widespread popularity during the 20th century, fueled by nationalist and pseudoscientific racist ideologies and in conjunction with the rise of powerful nation-states that promote and implement such policies. The term also became popularized in the Western media, which often mischaracterized the massacres as ethnic cleansing instead of genocide.
This article examines how the use of the phrase obfuscates what is happening, and why it is so important to recognize and understand this human rights issue. It is especially urgent because bystanders’ inaction to stop ethnic cleansing often results in huge increases in casualties, and undermines the legal obligation imposed on them under international law to act. Sign up for instant alerts, news & updates.
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