Adwokat Rafał Lemkin – twórca koncepcji prawnej zbrodni ludobójstwa

Abstract

The article discusses Raphael Lemkin’s achievements in the field of international law. The lawyer, born in the province of Grodno, was the first to analyze the laws of Nazi Germany regarding genocide, even during the warfare. His book Axis Rule in Occupied Europe, published in 1944, discusses the provisions of law of the Third Reich regarding the Jewish people, as well as the provisions of international law and, above all, the Hague Regulations, which in the face of Nazi war crimes proved completely ineffective. In his book, Lemkin develops the concept of genocide, not known before in the international legislation. Lemkin’s works led to the criminalization of genocide, which was reflected in adopting the UN Convention of December 9, 1948, in New York (called the “Lemkin’s Convention”). The article describes also the family situation at Lemkins’ home, and above all – the impact of his mother and the readings in his youth on the way the attitudes of the future professor of law were shaped.