GENEVA, September 1 (RIA Novosti) – The UN Human Rights Council on Monday condemned terrorist acts and systematic human rights abuses committed by the Islamic State (IS) group in Iraq, saying they amount to crimes against humanity.
The council, which convened for a special session in Geneva earlier in the day, said in its resolution that it “condemns in the strongest possible terms systematic violations and abuses of human rights and violations of international humanitarian law resulting from the terrorist acts committed by the so-called Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant and associated groups, taking place since 10 June 2014 in several provinces of Iraq, which may amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity.”
The council also requested the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights to urgently “dispatch a mission to Iraq to investigate alleged violations and abuses of international human rights law committed by the so-called Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant and associated terrorist groups.”
Under the resolution, the mission should be charged with investigating all facts of abuses to bring those responsible to justice.
The mission is to make a written report at the 28th session Human Rights Council.
The IS militant group was previously known as either the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) or the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS).
On June 29, after weeks of fighting in Iraq and Syria and the seizure of vast territories in the two countries, the group proclaimed itself a “caliphate” and changed its name to the Islamic State.
According to the UN, the Islamic State and associated armed groups' activities in Iraq have led to thousands of causalities, mainly among civilians. Over one million of people have been forced to flee their homes, often under imminent and serious threat to their lives.
The IS has been added to terrorist organization lists by the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Saudi Arabia and the United Nations. IS has been accused of multiple killings, kidnappings and torture.
