A group of independent experts named by the United Nations Human Rights Council has examined millions of records related to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and concluded that the material points to a possible "global criminal enterprise" whose actions in some cases may meet the legal definition of crimes against humanity.
According to the experts, crimes described in documents released by the U.S. Justice Department occurred amid a context they characterize as dominated by supremacist beliefs, racism, corruption and extreme misogyny. The panel said these factors combined to produce a level of commodification and dehumanization directed at women and girls.
"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," the experts said in a statement.
The experts urged an independent, thorough and impartial investigation of the allegations contained in the files. They also recommended inquiries into how such abuses were able to continue over an extended period.
The U.S. Justice Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The documents released thus far have identified more than 1,200 victims. The experts expressed particular worry over "serious compliance failures and botched redactions" that exposed sensitive victim information in the materials made public.
Survivors, the panel noted, have reported feeling retraumatized and described their treatment as what they call "institutional gaslighting" as a result of what the experts characterized as reluctance to fully disclose information or broaden investigations.
The Justice Department's document release has also made public Epstein's connections to numerous prominent figures across politics, finance, academia and business - relationships that existed both before and after his 2008 guilty plea on prostitution charges that included soliciting an underage girl. Epstein was arrested again on federal charges of sex trafficking of minors and was later found hanged in his jail cell in 2019; his death was ruled a suicide.
Congress approved a law, with broad bipartisan support, in November requiring that all files related to Epstein be made public. The experts' statement highlighted the need for accountability and remedial measures to protect victims, while calling for transparent, independent inquiries into the breadth and persistence of the alleged criminal conduct.
The panel's findings underscore not only the alleged severity and scale of the abuses documented but also systemic failures in how sensitive evidence and victim protections were handled during the process of disclosure.