On May 23, Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Coordinator of International Advocacy Dindar Zebari joined the Coalition for Just Reparations online event to discuss the end of the UN Investigative Team to Promote Accountability for Crimes Committed by ISIS (UNITAD) mission and underlined that the KRG had not been included in the discussions of the termination of the UNITAD mission in New York.
“We reaffirm our commitment to justice for ISIS crimes, advocating for genocide recognition and comprehensive evidence collection, in collaboration with our international partners,” Zebari wrote in a post on X.
UNITAD was first established in 2017 to investigate ISIS crimes in Syria and Iraq. However, Iraq has decided to end the UNITAD mission by September 2024 because it has not provided evidence to Iraqi courts.
May 23, as a KRG representative, I participated in a virtual meeting with C4JR. We reaffirm our commitment to justice for ISIS crimes, advocating for genocide recognition and comprehensive evidence collection, in collaboration with our international partners. pic.twitter.com/Ruc1C4av21
— Dr. Dindar Zebari (@KRG_Coordinator) May 23, 2024
Zebari underlined that the KRG has supported UNITAD in the collection of evidence and data since the beginning of its mission and has “submitted thousands of documents, videotapes, records and statements related to all minorities and communities in those areas,” referring to Sinjar and the Nineveh Plain.
“We have facilitated the establishment of the two main offices of UNITAD in Erbil and Duhok and that was another way of supporting UNITAD and our international experts in the region.”
He also said the KRG supports the establishment of a specialized court to prosecute ISIS members on the basis of international crimes. However, an approved draft law to create the court was blocked by an advisory opinion by the Federal Supreme Court of Iraq on June 13, 2021.
Zebari said he had sent a personal letter asking UNITAD to intervene, but they cited Iraq’s sovereignty.
“Unfortunately, without any support internationally, our effort has been stopped and no progress has been made following that advisory opinion from the federal court in Baghdad.”
Zebari said that the KRG has continued to provide evidence to UNITAD despite various obstacles.
He said they gave the organization access to detainees in detention facilities and supported UNITAD workshops.
“We also discussed with UNITAD coordination between the judiciary in Baghdad and Erbil to facilitate the proper prosecution of international crimes.”
However, he said UNITAD had not given any feedback on the information the KRG has provided.
Meanwhile, the KRG has put hundreds of ISIS members on trial.
Despite these efforts, he said the KRG was not included in the discussions of the termination of the UNITAD mission in Baghdad or New York.
“We are the only authority that managed to stop the advance of ISIS and liberate the areas they had occupied. Nevertheless, Erbil has not been included in discussions regarding international mechanisms.”
However, he underlined that, despite these restrictions, the KRG is happy to support other international platforms and international trials. Furthermore, he called for the Yezidi genocide to be recognized.
