UN Special Adviser says ISIS committed war crimes, genocide in Iraq
Special Adviser Karim Asad Ahmad Khan, head of the investigative team to Promote Accountability for Crimes Committed by ISIS in Iraq and the Levant (Unitad), has affirmed that the terrorist organization committed war crimes and genocide in Iraq.
In September 2017, the UN established the need to launch an investigation into the crimes committed by ISIS which led to the deployment of the investigative team in October 2018.
The team, led by Khan, is mandated to collect, store and analyse evidence of ISIS on war crimes, crimes against humanity or genocide according to international standards for use in Iraqi courts.
In a press statement, Khan said Iraqi courts will be assigned to judge ISIS elements because Iraq is the main target of these investigations, pointing out that “extraordinary” legal procedures might be taken, considering the nature of the crimes committed.
The UN team also is analyzing the remains of 12,000 bodies buried in more than 200 mass-graves across Iraq, collecting the testimony of those who survived ISIS’ brutal rule or compiling the troves of evidence comprised of video-taped executions and other propaganda material.
