8. DENIAL is the eighth stage that always follows a genocide. It is among the surest indicators of further genocidal
massacres. The perpetrators of genocide dig up the mass graves, burn the bodies, try to cover up the evidence and
intimidate the witnesses. They deny that they committed any crimes, and often blame what happened on the victims.
They block investigations of the crimes, and continue to govern until driven from power by force, when they flee into
exile. There they remain with impunity, like Pol Pot or Idi Amin, unless they are captured and a tribunal is established
to try them. The response to denial is punishment by an international tribunal or national courts. There the evidence
can be heard, and the perpetrators punished. Tribunals like the Yugoslav or Rwanda Tribunals, or an international
tribunal to try the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia, or an International Criminal Court may not deter the worst genocidal
killers. But with the political will to arrest and prosecute them, some may be brought to justice.