Humanitarian

Iraq must identify way to provide justice for victims of ISIS: C4JR

“So far, the Iraqi government has not acted to provide an alternative criminal accountability mechanism with jurisdiction over genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes."

Wladimir van Wilgenburg 2022/08/16 21:28

Mourners react as they carry coffins during a mass funeral for Yazidi victims of the Islamic State (IS) group whose remains were found in a mass grave, in the northern Iraqi village of Kojo in Sinjar district, Dec. 9, 2021. (Photo: Zaid Al-

Iraq Koco Yezidi Genocide Sinjar ISIS crimes C4JR

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Coalition for Just Reparations (C4JR), an alliance of Iraqi non-governmental organizations (NGOs), in a position paper on Monday called on the Iraqi government incorporate genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes into national law and prosecute ISIS fighters for their crimes.

The paper was released on the eight anniversary of the ISIS massacre against innocent civilians in the village of Kojo. ISIS killed or enslaved more than 1,250 inhabitants of the Yezidi village of Kocho (Kojo) on August 15, 2014.

On Kocho massacre day, @c4jrorg invites interested parties to consider the basic contours of a mechanism to bring ISIL members responsible for crimes in Iraq to justice, laid out in its Position paper on a Survivor-centered ISIL Accountability Mechanismhttps://t.co/R2sNbZvkA1
— Coalition for Just Reparations (@c4jrOrg) August 15, 2022

But so far, ISIS fighters have not been prosecuted for their war crimes.

“The Iraqi Federal Supreme Court has declared that a KRI (Kurdistan Region of Iraq) draft law to establish a criminal tribunal for ISIL (ISIS) crimes in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq could not move forward on constitutional grounds,” the paper said.

“So far, the Iraqi government has not acted to provide an alternative criminal accountability mechanism with jurisdiction over genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes,” the paper added.

Therefore, the NGO alliance called on Baghdad to incorporate genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes into national law.

Moreover, it called for the establishment of a “survivor-friendly criminal accountability mechanism meeting international standards with jurisdiction over international crimes committed by ISIL (ISIS).”

“This unique position paper on a survivor-centered ISIL accountability mechanism in Iraq is an excellent opportunity for the Iraqi government and the international community to achieve justice for survivors of ISIL violence,” Wansa Shamoon, the spokesperson for Coalition for Just Reparations, told Kurdistan 24.

“The C4JR and its member organizations invite interested parties and stakeholders to consider the principles and suggestions outlined in this position paper on a Survivor-centered ISIL Accountability Mechanism.”