Petition for Recognition, Accountability, and Reparations for Crimes Against Humanity Arising from the Conversion of African Prisoners of War into Permanent Enslavement.

PETITIONERS

African/Black peoples, descendant communities, civil society organizations, and allies acting in the public interest.

RESPONDENTS

1. The African Union (AU)

2. Arab States and Arab-Islamic successor authorities that exercised effective control over enslavement systems

CORE STATEMENT

From the 7th century CE onward, African prisoners of war and forcibly detained civilians were systematically converted into permanent, inheritable, and commodified property by Arab and Arab-ruled authorities. This conversion—through sale, forced labor, sexual ownership, inheritance, and lifelong domination—constitutes Crimes Against Humanity under customary international law.

KEY FACTS (SUMMARY)

Captured Africans were denied POW protections such as release or exchange. They were sold in markets, taxed by states, inherited as property, and transported across deserts and seas. Sexual exploitation and hereditary status were legally authorized. The system operated for over thirteen centuries until this very day and affected millions

LEGAL BASIS

Crimes Against Humanity include enslavement: the exercise of powers attaching to the right of ownership over a person. The unlawful conversion of prisoners of war into permanent property status constitutes enslavement regardless of initial capture. Such crimes are imprescriptible and not subject to statutes of limitation.

RESPONSIBILITY

Arab States: Exercised effective control over markets, trade routes, fiscal systems, and legal regimes authorizing ownership and exploitation.

African Union: Holds legal personality and positive obligations to protect African peoples’ rights to truth, dignity, and remedy. Continued silence and inaction constitute a continuing internationally wrongful act.

DEMANDS

Petitioners respectfully demand:

1. Formal recognition of these acts as Crimes Against Humanity.

2. Establishment of an independent Truth, Accountability, and Reparations Commission.

3. Diplomatic and legal engagement with responsible Arab states.

4. Reparative restitution and development measures for affected African regions.

DECLARATION

The issue is not lawful wartime capture, but the systematic transformation of African prisoners into permanent objects of ownership. Justice requires acknowledgment, accountability, and repair.

We therefore petition for immediate action.