A United Nations report said the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) has committed “international crimes” during the battle for Mosul in Iraq, and called for the prosecution of perpetrators.
The report, compiled by the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and UN assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI), was released following a nine-month military campaign by the Iraqi government and coalition forces to capture Mosul.
“Thousands of civilians were subjected to shocking human rights abuses and clear violations of international humanitarian law,” said the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein. “The execution-style killing of civilians, the suffering inflicted on families, and the wanton destruction of property can never be tolerated in any armed conflict, and those responsible must answer for their heinous crimes.”
The report called on the international community, including the UN Security Council and the Human Rights Council, to take action to ensure that those responsible for international crimes such as genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes are held accountable and called on the government of Iraq to becoming a party to the Statute of the International Criminal Court, and accept the Court’s jurisdiction
An OHCHR press release concluded that “prosecuting those responsible for “international crimes” in Mosul the Iraqi authorities would be sending a message to the people of Iraq who have suffered, no matter when or where, that justice is eventually delivered”.
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