Iraq can investigate IS crimes without UN help: Ambassador

BAGHDAD, Iraq (Kurdistan24) – Iraq’s UN Ambassador on Friday said the country hadn’t decided if it needed the United Nation’s help to collect evidence against the Islamic State’s (IS) crimes.

Britain is in the process of drafting a UN Security Council resolution to establish an investigation for the future prosecution of IS militants, Reuters reported.

No vote can begin until Iraq writes an official letter to the Security Council confirming the investigation.

International human rights lawyer Amal Clooney and Yezidi (Ezidi) UN Goodwill Ambassador Nadia Murad on Thursday urged Iraq to approve the inquiry.

However, Iraq’s UN Ambassador Mohamed Ali Alhakim told reporters the country would decide how to begin an investigation on its own.

“We don’t want people to tell us what we need [to do], we will tell them what we need, and that’s really the bottom line,” he said.

Alhakim dismissed the need for assistance from a Security Council, adding the support would be unnecessary.

“Technical assistance you can get from anywhere, you don’t need a Security Council resolution,” he continued.

Moreover, Alhakim explained Iraq’s Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi would make the final decision regarding the UN’s help.

Meanwhile, Clooney revealed there were other ways of gathering evidence of IS crimes without the approval of Iraq.

The 193-member General Assembly could organize a team dedicated to preserving evidence and preparing cases.

Another option would be referring the case to the International Criminal Court.

Clooney, who represents Murad and other Ezidi victims of IS, said time was ticking to hold IS militants accountable and evidence would “damaged.”

“There are mass graves whose locations are known, and for all of this time, they’re just lying there unprotected, and evidence is being damaged,” she told Reuters.

Editing by Delovan Barwari