Washington, D.C./AM.- Kerry Kennedy and Santiago A. Canton, on behalf of the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights (Robert F. Kennedy Center), condemn the ongoing actions of the terrorist group Boko Haram and express grave concern for the more than 270 schoolgirls in Borno State who are still presumed kidnapped. Boko Haram posted an online video after the abductions, referring to the captured girls as "slaves" and announcing its plans to sell them "in the market" and "marry them off." In a second video distributed on Monday showing a large group of Nigerian girls sitting together, Boko Haram offered to swap the teenage girls for imprisoned militants.

Since 2002, Boko Haram has carried out a series of high-profile terror attacks, killing thousands of people at police stations, government offices, and public buildings such as schools and churches, targeting anyone that they believe to be standing in the way of a "pure" Islamic state.

The Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), which has found a reasonable basis to believe Boko Haram has been committing crimes against humanity including murder and persecution since 2009, condemned the abductions as acts which "shock the conscience of humanity and could constitute crimes that fall within the jurisdiction of the ICC." The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights also warned the group that its intent to sell the schoolgirls may amount to the crimes against humanity, namely enslavement and sexual slavery.

"The government of Nigeria has a decade-long history of failing to adequately investigate and prosecute Boko Haram," said Kerry Kennedy, President of the Robert F. Kennedy Center. "We urge the ICC Prosecutor to open a formal investigation before the International Criminal Court without delay."

Nigerian authorities have been roundly criticized for not properly investigating the recent abductions as well as past terrorist attacks committed by Boko Haram. Given the ongoing and seemingly more brazen attacks perpetrated by the group, it is imperative that authorities act definitively and swiftly, particularly as Boko Haram's influence continues to expand in the region.

"The only answer to Boko Haram's actions is the immediate prosecution of its members. The victims and their families have the right to a concrete and rapid response," said Santiago A. Canton, Executive Director of Robert F. Kennedy Partners for Human Rights.