The UN is accusing the Libyan authorities of committing crimes against humanity (“Azg” on-line, 2011-03-03) Thoughts are expressed in words. Consequently, the usage of correct words or expressions is key to conveying the accurate understanding of thoughts. Even more so when it comes to such sensitive areas of wording as international relations and international law. The chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court lately stated that he would examine the actions of Muammar Gaddafi and his circle in order to hold them responsible for “attack[ing] and massacr[ing] civilians”. The prosecutor declared their actions to be “crimes against humanity”. Although the expression “crime(s) against humanity” is often used in translation in Armenian, as it is also associated with the crime of genocide, nevertheless, it is almost always translated incorrectly. It is often rendered “մարդկության դեմ հանցագործություն/ներ”, although the correct translation would be “հանցագործություն/ներ ընդդեմ մարդկայնության” or “մարդկայնության դեմ ուղղված հանցագործություն/ներ”. The Armenian words “մարդկություն” and “մարդկայնություն” are essentially different. The first (“martkoutiun”) is “humankind”, “mankind”, “человечество” in Russian – the collective, generally abstract notion of all people taken together. The second (“martkaynoutiun”) is more “humanity”, “человечность” in Russian, which is a human characteristic, an expected mode of conduct. The Armenian even uses the latter to denote the senses of “humane” and “inhumane”. The English word “humanity” can be translated either way into Armenian, and the same goes for the Russian “человечество” and “человечность”. I believe that this mistake has snuck into Armenian from the Russian, as it seems that the expression is used incorrectly in the Russian as well. To be fair, it must be noted that the mistake takes place in the media, whereas qualified lawyers (such as the Russian president, Medvedev) or high-ranking diplomats (such as the Russian foreign minister, Lavrov) use the correct form “преступление против человечности”. They are quoted as such as a matter of public record. All the authoritative and standard publications on international law echo this manner of translation, such as the Manual of the Terminology of Armed Conflicts and the International Humanitarian Organizations (14(B)¢161) and the Manual of the Terminology of Public International Law (Peace) and International Organizations (6(B1)¢273). It is also necessary to note that the very expression “crime against humanity” was first used on the 24th of May, 1915, in a joint declaration by Great Britain, France, and Russia, in describing the policy of extermination of Armenians by the Ottoman Empire. Let us hope that, after this explanation, Armenian journalists, as well as political and diplomatic figures, will use the correct expression, “մարդկայնության դեմ հանցագործություն/ներ”. Ara Papian Head of the Modus Vivendi Centre 3 March, 2011