ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani announced late Wednesday that his cabinet has approved draft legislation to establish a criminal court in Erbil to try Islamic State (ISIS) suspects. He called on Kurdish parliament to prioritize and pass it as soon as possible. Barzani said in a statement that their aim in establishing the national court is “to hold ISIS accountable for war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide.” “Once voted on and passed into law, this legislation will create the necessary legal framework to prosecute ISIS terrorists for their crimes against our peoples and humanity at large, through a national court in Erbil. I know this legislation will not heal the deep wounds of victims, particularly the Yazidi people and other groups. But it will be a pathway towards accountability, closure and above all justice,” added the premier. ISIS controlled swathes of land in Iraq and Syria in 2014, killing and abducting a large number of people, especially the ethno-religious Yazidi community, as well as causing the displacement of millions of people. Erbil and Baghdad have arrested scores of ISIS suspects since 2014. A large number of these suspects are foreigners. Iraqi and Kurdish officials have warned several times recently that the group still poses a threat to the whole country. Barzani called on UNITAD, the United Nations Investigative Team to Promote Accountability for Crimes Committed by Daesh (the Arabic acronym for ISIS) and the international community to “increase judicial support and training in the preparation for the first public trial. In this legislation, members of the international community are also called upon to provide assistance and contribute towards a fund in support of the victims.” The draft has to be voted on by Kurdistan Parliament, but no date has been set as of yet. Barzani urged the parliament to “see this legislation as a priority and lose no time in passing it.” He thanked UNITAD Special Advisor Karim Khan and his colleagues for their “important role in providing technical assistance and support for this process.”
