Senior Kurdistan Region leaders meet with head of UN team investigating ISIS crimes

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The continued efforts to find ways to hold Islamic State members accountable for their crimes against humanity led discussions in separate meetings between senior Kurdistan Region leaders and a top United Nations official.

Karim A.A. Khan QC, Special Advisor and Head of the United Nations Investigative Team for the Accountability of Islamic State crimes (UNITAD), met separately with Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani, Prime Minister-Designate Masrour Barzani, and Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) President Masoud Barzani on Wednesday.

In his meeting with President Nechirvan Barzani, Khan updated the Kurdish leader on the progress UNITAD has made with its collection of evidence to prosecute so-called Islamic State fighters for their crimes in Iraq and Syria, noting that the evidence gathered is according to international standards, a statement from the president’s office said.

Both sides also spoke at length about the ongoing cooperation between the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) and the Federal Government of Iraq as they work to locate the criminals and put them on trial.

President Nechirvan Barzani highly praised Khan and his delegation’s work in bringing Islamic State criminals to justice, the statement added.

The president also offered Kurdistan’s overall support on the matter and emphasized that the “Kurdistan Region would uphold and deepen the principles and values of coexistence, and protect the different components in the society.”

Elsewhere, Khan met with the KRG’s Prime Minister-Designate, Masrour Barzani, who also serves as the Chancellor of the Kurdistan Region Security Council (KRSC). Masrour Barzani “reaffirmed his support” for UNITAD’s work in holding Islamic State militants accountable for their crimes against humanity, a statement on the KRSC website read.

“The Kurdistan Region and Iraq have a moral responsibility to help hold [ISIS] members accountable for crimes against humanity, war crimes, and genocide against all communities, in particular, the Yezidi people,” Masrour Barzani said, according to the statement.

Both sides expressed the importance of “remaining in close contact” on the matter as they further support their collective goal. 

Met @UNITAD_Iraq Special Advisor Karim Khan — I reaffirmed our strong support for the mandate. The Kurdistan Region, Iraq and the international community have a moral responsibility to hold ISIL members accountable for their heinous crimes. Readout: https://t.co/9d8xxAQh5n pic.twitter.com/w443mUMxVS

— Masrour Barzani (@masrour_barzani) June 19, 2019

In his meeting with KDP President Masoud Barzani, the two agreed on the importance of fair trials based on international standards as a substantial step toward peace, a statement on the KDP leader’s website said. 

Both highlighted that “creating an evidence-based record and holding fair trials by international standards is a prerequisite for peace and stability to prevent the re-emergence of” the Islamic State, UNITAD wrote about the meeting on Twitter.

Masoud Barzani noted that despite the Islamic State’s military defeat, the terror group remains a threat as they continue to “disrupt peace and coexistence between the different religions and ethnicities in the world.”

The KDP president also underlined the Peshmerga’s role and the sacrifices they made in defeating the terror group.

The meeting ended on a high note as Masoud Barzani extended his full support to the “UN’s decision to bring the ISIS militants to a fair trial and hold them accountable for their crimes against humanity.      

On March 15, the Iraqi government, the KRG, and UNITAD marked the beginning of national efforts to unearth the first mass graves of Yezidi victims of the Islamic State.

So far, at least 12 of the 79 mass graves found have been unearthed as the organization works to identify ways to use the evidence it has gathered effectively.

Editing by Karzan Sulaivany