The Epstein Files suggest the existence of a global criminal trade, while the acts described in them were led by extremist beliefs, according to a statement released by independent experts from the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC).
The statement released on February 17 warned that not only do the alleged acts amount to “gravest crimes” under international law, but it also points toward a greater criminal enterprise spanning various countries.
“The ‘Epstein Files’, which are suggestive of the existence of a global criminal enterprise, have shocked the conscience of humanity and raised terrifying implications of the level of impunity for such crimes,” the UNHRC said.
The reported crimes can amount to reproductive violence, enforced disappearance, sexual slavery, femicide, torture and inhuman and degrading treatment, the experts said.
Describing crimes against humanity as acts committed with knowledge as part of a systemic attack against a certain population, the UNHRC experts said the conduct reported in the Epstein Files meets the threshold, thereby making it possible to be prosecuted in national and international courts.
“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.
The US Department of Justice, after multiple delays, released a massive tranche of Epstein Files, including more than 2,000 videos and 1,80,000 images on January 30, following the signing of the Epstein Files Transparency Act 2025.
These files mention powerful public figures, including celebrities, politicians, and business figures who were allegedly associated with billionaire Jeffrey Epstein. He was criminally charged over allegations of operating a child sex trafficking ring, exploiting minor girls and died by suicide in 2019 while serving time in a New York jail.
Experts hail victims, call for accountability from alleged perpetrators
Despite the number of files disclosed, the experts warned that the “botched redactions” exposed victim information, while there has been limited accountability against those involved in the crimes.
Since the release of the Epstein Files, several victims have come forward to seek justice. The experts hailed the courage and resilience of the victims, adding that the failure to redact their information has “left many survivors feeling retraumatised.”
“The failure to safeguard their privacy puts them at risk of retaliation and stigma,” the experts warned.
All allegations in the Epstein Files are shocking in nature, according to the experts. “They require independent, thorough, and impartial investigation, as well as inquiries to determine how such crimes could have taken place for so long.”
Any suggestion that it is time to move on from the ‘Epstein Files’ is unacceptable,” they said, adding that “it represents a failure of responsibility towards victims.”
The UN experts called for adequate action against the perpetrators, saying resignations of implicated individuals are not an acceptable substitute for criminal accountability.
They added, “It is imperative that governments act decisively to hold perpetrators accountable. No one is too wealthy or too powerful to be above the law.”
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