UN creates team to investigate ISIS war crimes in Iraq
The United Nations Security Council unanimously voted to create an investigative team that will collect evidence of genocide and war crimes committed by the Islamic State terror group against civilians in Iraq.
The resolution, adopted by the council on Thursday, asks the UN Secretary-General to establish a team of experts, who will be tasked with collecting evidence of "acts that may amount to genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity," World Watch Monitor reported.
It also mandates the creation of a Special Adviser to "promote accountability for acts that may amount to atrocity crimes committed by ISIL/Da'esh, and work with survivors, in a manner consistent with relevant national laws, to ensure full recognition of their interest in realizing accountability."
The resolution was drafted by the U.K. and was heavily promoted by international human rights lawyer Amal Clooney, who described Thursday's vote as a "milestone for the victims of ISIS."
According to Christian Today, the probe will be focused on the offenses committed by ISIS and not any other militant group, and will not include the atrocities committed outside of Iraq.
British government ministers have previously expressed concern that a motion at the security council over ISIS war crimes would be blocked because such resolutions typically conduct investigations on a specific geographical area rather than into specific perpetrators.
Foreign Office ministers have also feared that Russia, a permanent member of the council, would use its veto power to block such a motion because of its support for Syria's President Bashar al-Assad who is also accused of war crimes in the region. However, the resolution was passed unanimously because it specifically targets ISIS' crimes rather than all incidents in a geographical area.
The resolution came after Iraqi Prime Minister Haider as-Abadi and Foreign Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari wrote to UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres last month to ask the international community to support Iraqi efforts to bring the militant group to justice.
"The crimes committed by the Daesh [ISIS] terrorist organization against civilians and destruction of infrastructure and archaeological sites in Iraq are crimes against humanity, which makes it important to bring its perpetrators from Daesh terrorist gangs to justice, in accordance (with) the Iraqi law," the letter read.
"We request assistance of the international community to get benefited from international expertise to criminalize Daesh terrorist entity," it continued.
Britain has pledged £1 million ($1.3 million) for the creation of the UN's investigative team. The British Foreign Office said that the motion represents a concerted effort of coordinated global action to hold ISIS accountable for its crimes.