In Lviv, on the building at 4 Hrushevskoho Street, which once housed the Faculty of Law of Lviv University, a memorial plaque has been unveiled in honour of Rafał Lemkin and Hersch Lauterpacht. Both lawyers studied at this university and later became the authors of key concepts in modern international law.
Rafał Lemkin introduced the term “genocide” into academic and legal use, while Hersch Lauterpacht developed the concept of “crimes against humanity”. These very ideas had a profound impact on the shaping of international legal norms after the Second World War.
The initiative to install the memorial plaque came from the British lawyer and writer Philippe Sands, who has spent many years researching the lives and legacy of Lemkin and Lauterpacht. His book “East West Street” drew the attention of the international community to the Lviv period of their biographies.
Philippe Sands also has a personal connection with the city: his grandfather came from Lviv, and he himself, despite the war, continues to come here and maintain his ties with it.