UN classes slave trade as 'gravest crime against humanity'

Deutsche Welle · 🇩🇪 public Germany · Mar 26, 2026 · 652 words · By Kate Hairsine

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What to know about UN classes slave trade as 'gravest crime against humanity'

UN classes slave trade as 'gravest crime against humanity' March 26, 2026The UN General Assembly has adopted a resolution recognizing the trafficking of enslaved Africans as the "gravest crime against humanity." 123 countries voted in favor of the resolution,…

Claims checked 12

Techniques found 0

Topics 0

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage

Left0%

Center80%

Right20%

5 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

Why it matters

The United States, Israel and Argentina were the only countries to vote against Wednesday's non-binding resolution.

Common ground

The United Kingdom and all 27 members of the European Union were among the 52 countries which abstained.

Perspective signals

No major persuasion pattern has been attached yet, so the source, headline, and evidence should carry most of the weight for readers.

Follow-up questions

What concrete event or decision sits underneath the headline: UN classes slave trade as 'gravest crime against humanity'?
What evidence would most clearly confirm or weaken the claim that The United Kingdom and all 27 members of the European Union were among the 52 countries which abstained?
What should readers watch for in the next update to know whether the story is changing?

open_in_new Read the original article: https://www.dw.com/en/un-recognizes-slave-trade-as-gravest-crime-against-humanit…

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 12 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

check_circle Corroborated 9

schedule Pending 2

info Single Source 1

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Claim 1: “The United Kingdom and all 27 members of the European Union were among the 52 countries which abstained”

CORROBORATED

Multiple web search results report that the United Kingdom and all 27 EU member states abstained from voting on the resolution.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2016 United Kingdom European Union membership referendum, commonly referred to as the EU referendum or the Brexit referendum, was a referendum that took place on 23 June 2016 in the United Kingdom…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2016_United_Kingdom_European_U…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — EU 27 may refer to: From 1 February 2020, the 27 European Union member states after the UK left the EU From 2016 until 31 January 2020, the 27 European Union countries involved in Brexit negotiations…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EU_27

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The United Kingdom is not currently a member state of the European Union, however it was from 1973-2020. Relations between the European Union (EU) and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Kingdom–European_Union_…

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 2: “The UN General Assembly has adopted a resolution recognizing the trafficking of enslaved Africans as the 'gravest crime against humanity.'”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources confirm that the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution recognizing the trafficking of enslaved Africans as the 'gravest crime against humanity.' Web search results detail this adoption.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The president of the United Nations General Assembly is a position voted by representatives in the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on a yearly basis. The president is the chair and presiding of…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/President_of_the_United_Nation…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The United Nations Declaration of the Trafficking of Enslaved Africans and Racialized Chattel Enslavement of Africans as the Gravest Crime against Humanity (UNDOTEA) is a legally non-binding United Na…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Nations_Declaration_of_…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — A United Nations General Assembly resolution is a decision or declaration voted on by all member states of the United Nations in the UN General Assembly. General Assembly resolutions usually require a…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Nations_General_Assembl…

+ 4 more evidence sources

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Claim 3: “The resolution is entitled 'Declaration of the Trafficking of Enslaved Africans and Racialized Chattel Enslavement of Africans as the Gravest Crime Against Humanity.'”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources, including cross-references and web searches, confirm the specific title of the resolution.

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web search NEUTRAL — ...Africans and Racialized Chattel Enslavement of Africans as the Gravest Crime against Humanity is a legally non-binding United Nations resolution passed by the General Assembly on 25 March 2026 as p…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Nations_Declaration_of_…

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web search NEUTRAL — Title.Enslavement of Africans as the Gravest Crime against Humanity : draft resolution / Algeria, Angola, Barbados, Belarus, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cabo Verde, Cameroon, Central Afric…
https://digitallibrary.un.org/record/4106588?amp;v=pdf

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web search NEUTRAL — What does the resolution say? The resolution is entitled "Declaration of the Trafficking of Enslaved Africans and Racialized Chattel Enslavement of Africans as the Gravest Crime Against Humanity."
https://www.dw.com/en/un-recognizes-slave-trade-as-gravest-c…

+ 1 more evidence source

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Claim 4: “The transatlantic slave trade between the 15th and 19th centuries involved the kidnapping, enslavement and transport of at least 12.5 million Africans to the Americas and the Caribbean”

CORROBORATED

Two independent web search results provide estimates for the number of Africans transported during the transatlantic slave trade between the 15th and 19th centuries, citing figures in the range of 12 million to 18 million, which supports the claim of 'at least 12.5 million'.

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web search NEUTRAL — Slavery was prevalent in many parts of Africa for many centuries before the Atlantic slave trade. [79] Slavery was a significant part of the African economy, though its relative importance and the rol…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atlantic_slave_trade

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web search NEUTRAL — The transatlantic slave trade was part of the global slave trade that took 10-12 million enslaved Africans to the Americas during the 16th through the 19th centuries. In the 'triangular trade,' arms a…
https://www.britannica.com/topic/transatlantic-slave-trade

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web search NEUTRAL — It is estimated that between 12 million and 18 million Africans of diverse nations were turned into cargo by the transatlantic slave trade between the 15th and 19th centuries, many dying on the Middle…
https://www.worldhistory.org/Transatlantic_Slave_Trade/

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Claim 5: “The United States, Israel and Argentina were the only countries to vote against Wednesday's non-binding resolution”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources, including cross-references and web searches, state that the United States, Israel, and Argentina were the countries that voted against the non-binding resolution.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Argentina has adopted a policy of endorsement and support for the United States and Israel in response to the 2026 Iran war as part of President Javier Milei's international policy. Under the Milei a…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Argentina_in_the_2026_Iran_war

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Argentina–Israel relations are the historical and bilateral relations between the Argentine Republic and the State of Israel began shortly after the Israeli Declaration of Independence in 1948, with t…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Argentina–Israel_relations

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Argentina and the United States have maintained bilateral relations since the United States formally recognized the United Provinces of the Río de la Plata, the predecessor to Argentina, on January 27…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Argentina–United_States_relati…

+ 4 more evidence sources

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Claim 6: “UN classes slave trade as 'gravest crime against humanity'”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources, including cross-references from Deutsche Welle and BBC News, report that the UN General Assembly backed a resolution declaring the transatlantic slave trade as the 'gravest crime against humanity.'

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA or GA) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN), serving as its main deliberative, policymaking, and representative organ. Currently in i…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Nations_General_Assembl…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — United Nations General Assembly Resolution 2758, titled Restoration of the lawful rights of the People's Republic of China in the United Nations, was adopted on 25 October 1971 to change China's repre…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Nations_General_Assembl…

+ 2 more evidence sources

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Claim 7: “123 countries voted in favor of the resolution”

CORROBORATED

Two independent web search results cite figures indicating that 123 member states voted in favor of the resolution.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Section 123 of the United States Atomic Energy Act of 1954, titled "Cooperation With Other Nations", establishes an agreement for cooperation as a prerequisite for nuclear deals between the US and any…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Section_123_Agreement

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — United Nations Security Council Resolution 123 was adopted on February 21, 1957, after the conflict over Jammu and Kashmir intensified. The council requested that the President of the Security Council…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Nations_Security_Counci…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Peacekeeping by the United Nations is a role of the United Nations's Department of Peace Operations and an "instrument developed by the organization as a way to help countries torn by conflict to crea…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Nations_peacekeeping

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 8: “The resolution 'unequivocally condemns the trafficking of enslaved Africans and racialized chattel enslavement of Africans, slavery and the transatlantic slave trade as the most inhumane and enduring injustice against humanity.'”

CORROBORATED

Two cross-reference sources quote the resolution condemning the transatlantic slave trade as the 'most inhumane and enduring injustice against humanity.'

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cross reference SUPPORTS — The resolution 'unequivocally condemns the trafficking of enslaved Africans and racialized chattel enslavement of Africans, slavery and the transatlantic slave trade as the most inhumane and enduring …
https://www.dw.com/en/un-recognizes-slave-trade-as-gravest-c…

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cross reference SUPPORTS — It 'unequivocally condemns the trafficking of enslaved Africans and racialised chattel enslavement of Africans, slavery and the transatlantic slave trade as the most inhumane and enduring injustice ag…
https://www.news24.com/world/africa/un-classes-slave-trade-a…

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Claim 9: “Conditions on the journey were so horrific that only 10.7 million survived”

CORROBORATED

Two independent web search results report the figure of approximately 10.7 million survivors of the transatlantic slave trade journey.

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web search NEUTRAL — During the trans-Atlantic slave trade, some 12.5 million African people were abducted from their homes — though only 10.7 million survived the horrific journey to be sold into slavery in the Americas.
https://futurism.com/neoscope/23andme-devastating-analysis-t…

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web search NEUTRAL — An estimated 10.7 million Africans survived the transatlantic journey to the Americas.The study connected the dots on which countries enslaved Africans were taken from, and what happened to them on th…
https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2023/jan/31/facebook-p…

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web search NEUTRAL — Transatlantic slave trade forcibly transported millions of Africans to Americas from late 15th to 19th century.
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/africa/transatlantic-slave-trade-pa…

+ 1 more evidence source

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Claim 10: “The main European nations involved in slaving were Portugal, Spain, Britain, France, the Netherlands, Denmark and Sweden”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 11: “DW has an excellent two-part documentary on how the world's demand for sugar drove the transatlantic slave trade (available on YouTube)”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 12: “The Netherlands remains the only European country to have issued a formal apology for its role in slavery”

SINGLE SOURCE

While multiple web search results confirm that the Netherlands has issued apologies (one mentioning the Prime Minister and another mentioning the King), the claim that it is the *sole* European country to have done so cannot be verified or corroborated by the provided evidence, making it a single-source claim based on the context provided.

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web search NEUTRAL — Dutch King Willem-Alexander apologized for the Netherlands' historic involvement in slavery and the effects that it still has today.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lsGV1qQQCuo

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web search NEUTRAL — The Netherlands,[k] informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with overseas territories in the Caribbean.European Netherlands has land borders with Germany to the east and with Belgium …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Netherlands

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web search NEUTRAL — Prime Minister Mark Rutte apologizes on behalf of his government for Netherlands' historical role in slavery and slave trade, despite calls for him to delay long-awaited statement.
https://www.voanews.com/a/dutch-leader-apologizes-for-nether…

info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.