The Islamic State is committing genocide against the Yazidis in Syria and Iraq, seeking to destroy the ethno-religious group of 400,000 people through killings, sexual slavery and other crimes, United
The Islamic State is committing genocide against the Yazidis in Syria and Iraq, seeking to destroy the ethno-religious group of 400,000 people through killings, sexual slavery and other crimes, United Nations investigators said on Thursday.
Their report, based on interviews with dozens of survivors, said that the Islamist militants had been systematically capturing Yazidis in Iraq and Syria since August 2014, seeking to “erase their identity” in a campaign that met the definition of the crime as defined under the 1948 Genocide Convention.
“The genocide of the Yazidis is ongoing,” it said.
Mr Paulo Pinheiro, chairman of the commission of inquiry, told a press briefing: “The crime of genocide must trigger much more assertive action at the political level, including at the Security Council.”
Commission member Vitit Muntarbhorn said it had “detailed information on places, violations and names of the perpetrators”, and had begun sharing information wit-h some national authorities, who were prosecuting foreign fighters.
The four independent commissioners urged major powers to rescue at least 3,200 women and children still held by ISIS and to refer the case to the International Crimi-nal Court for prosecution.
The statement came as a top Kurdish official said on Thursday that once the Islamic State is defeated, Iraq should be divided into three separate entities to prevent further sectarian bloodshed, with a state each given to Shia Muslims, Sunnis and Kurds.
