ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The head of the United Nations investigation team into Islamic State (ISIS) crimes in Iraq said Tuesday that his organization is waiting on the Iraqi government to pass legislation on international criminal law in Iraq to prosecute members of the terror group for "heinous" crimes years after its so-called caliphate was dismantled in the country.
"We were told this would be a priority of the new parliament but as you know some political obstacles are in the way and we are still waiting for legislation on international criminal law which would be really helpful otherwise you cannot prosecute these crimes as war crimes or crimes against humanity or genocide," Christian Ritscher, Special Adviser and head of the United Nations Investigative Team to Promote Accountability for Crimes Committed by Daesh/ISIL (UNITAD) told Rudaw's Nwenar Fatih.
Ritscher added that the passing of such legislation would propel Iraqi courts to the next level while dealing with ISIS war crimes, as it could include the participation of victims who "have a voice in the trials" and could testify in court, referencing the sentencing of a former ISIS member in the German city of Frankfurt last year to life imprisonment on charges of crimes against Iraq's Yazidi ethnoreligious minority.
Iraq's tense political climate has presented major obstacles to the passing of new laws, as the current caretaker government does not have the authority to implement long-term, proper decisions in the country.
The UNITAD head, however, praised the Iraqi government and commended their support for the mission.
ISIS surged to power and overran large swaths of Iraq in 2014, committing countless atrocities against the country's different minorities as the terror group took control of vast amounts of territory. Despite its territorial defeat in 2019, the scars and horrors inflicted by the terror group on its victims remain present.
"ISIL committed almost every crime which is described under international customary criminal law," Ritscher said, using an acronym for ISIS, while lamenting that the terror group "put away every achievement of civilization."
