UN Human Rights Experts Warn Epstein Files May Meet Crimes Against Humanity Threshold, Demand Full Prosecutions
The United Nations Human Rights Office has issued a stark warning that newly released documents and materials linked to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein contain credible evidence of widespread and systematic sexual abuse and exploitation that could meet the legal threshold for crimes against humanity.
In a statement issued on Monday, UN human rights experts described the so-called “Epstein Files” as containing disturbing details of large-scale sexual abuse, trafficking, and exploitation of women and girls across multiple countries. They stated that the alleged conduct includes acts that may amount to sexual slavery, reproductive violence, enforced disappearance, torture, inhuman and degrading treatment, and femicide.
The experts explained that under international criminal law, crimes against humanity occur when acts such as sexual slavery, rape, enforced prostitution, trafficking, persecution, torture, or murder are committed as part of a widespread or systematic attack directed against a civilian population, with knowledge of the attack. They concluded that the scale, nature, systematic character, and transnational reach of the atrocities described in the files are so grave that several of them could reasonably meet the legal threshold for crimes against humanity.
The U.S. Department of Justice released more than three million pages of documents, 2,000 videos, and 180,000 images on January 30, 2026, following the passage of the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which was signed into law in November 2025. While welcoming the unprecedented level of disclosure, the UN experts raised serious concerns about how the release was managed.
They pointed to redaction failures that initially exposed sensitive victim information before some records were withdrawn. The experts stressed that these grave errors highlight the urgent need for victim-centered standard operating procedures for disclosure and redaction to ensure no further harm is caused to survivors.
The statement also expressed deep concern over the limited accountability achieved so far. The experts noted that only one close associate of Epstein is currently under investigation. They warned that any suggestion that it is time to move on from the Epstein files is unacceptable and represents a failure of responsibility toward victims. Resignations of implicated individuals alone do not constitute adequate accountability, they added.
The UN experts called on U.S. authorities and other governments with jurisdiction to expand investigations, lift statutes of limitations where necessary, and ensure that all those responsible face criminal prosecution. They urged decisive action to hold perpetrators accountable, stressing that no one is too wealthy or too powerful to be above the law.
The release of the Epstein Files has reignited global debate on accountability for systemic sexual abuse and exploitation, particularly when powerful individuals are involved. The UN’s intervention adds weight to calls for full criminal accountability and systemic reforms to prevent similar abuses in the future. The statement is expected to influence ongoing discussions in national and international courts regarding the scope and nature of the crimes documented in the files.