Iraq
Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani (left) in a meeting with UNITAD head Christian Ritscher (center) in Iraq's holy Shiite city of Najaf on December 19, 2022. Photo: INA
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iraq’s highest Shiite authority Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani on Monday urged the need the free the remaining women in captivity of the Islamic State (ISIS) from the group’s grasp in a meeting with the head of the United Nations investigation team into ISIS crimes.
Sistani received Christian Ritscher, Special Adviser and head of the United Nations Investigative Team to Promote Accountability for Crimes Committed by Daesh/ISIL (UNITAD) in his residence in Najaf, and was briefed on the progress that Iraq has made in bringing justice to communities affected by ISIS’s brutal reign five years after its territorial defeat in Iraq.
During the meeting, the top Shiite cleric stressed “the need to work on releasing the remaining Turkmen and Yazidi women from the terrorist organization’s captivity in Syria and to take effective steps in redressing its victims, especially the displaced and refugees,” while expressing support to Ritscher and his team for their efforts, reported Iraqi state media. https://www.ina.iq/173518--.html
“Since the establishment of this Team, until today here, we have constantly counted on His Eminence’s wisdom and support to our cause in serving justice, and to our work in the pursuit of accountability for all victims of ISIL international crimes in Iraq,” Ritscher said in a statement, referring to Sistani’s unwavering support for his team. https://twitter.com/UNITAD_Iraq/status/1604774547798257664?s=20&t=vpSpcBUGRCGkdZzeP1XMFw
Ritscher affirmed that his team will continue to provide maximum support to all of Iraq’s components as they recover from ISIS “international crimes aimed to destroy the social fabric of Iraq,” adding that UNITAD’s main mission is to ensure that the perpetrators are held accountable before courts of law.
“Without this victory, it would not have been possible to pursue ISIS elements and hold them accountable for the crimes they committed against Iraqis, especially the crimes of murder, captivity, rape, and the destruction of Iraqi antiquities,” Sistani said, supporting Ritscher’s mission to bring the perpetrators to justice.
ISIL rose to power and seized vast swathes of Iraqi territory in 2014 but was declared territorially defeated in the country in 2017. Iraq’s minority communities and women who the terror group took into captivity suffered untold crimes during their reign, including sexual slavery, rape, and murder.
While the Iraqi army and Peshmerga forces regularly pursue ISIS remnants, the terror group continues to pose a serious security risk to the country, particularly in the disputed areas between Baghdad and Erbil.
A deadly ISIS attack in southern Kirkuk province on Sunday killed at least seven members of the federal Iraqi police, including a senior officer. https://www.rudaw.net/english/middleeast/iraq/181220221
Sistani received Christian Ritscher, Special Adviser and head of the United Nations Investigative Team to Promote Accountability for Crimes Committed by Daesh/ISIL (UNITAD) in his residence in Najaf, and was briefed on the progress that Iraq has made in bringing justice to communities affected by ISIS’s brutal reign five years after its territorial defeat in Iraq.
During the meeting, the top Shiite cleric stressed “the need to work on releasing the remaining Turkmen and Yazidi women from the terrorist organization’s captivity in Syria and to take effective steps in redressing its victims, especially the displaced and refugees,” while expressing support to Ritscher and his team for their efforts, reported Iraqi state media. https://www.ina.iq/173518--.html
“Since the establishment of this Team, until today here, we have constantly counted on His Eminence’s wisdom and support to our cause in serving justice, and to our work in the pursuit of accountability for all victims of ISIL international crimes in Iraq,” Ritscher said in a statement, referring to Sistani’s unwavering support for his team. https://twitter.com/UNITAD_Iraq/status/1604774547798257664?s=20&t=vpSpcBUGRCGkdZzeP1XMFw
Ritscher affirmed that his team will continue to provide maximum support to all of Iraq’s components as they recover from ISIS “international crimes aimed to destroy the social fabric of Iraq,” adding that UNITAD’s main mission is to ensure that the perpetrators are held accountable before courts of law.
“Without this victory, it would not have been possible to pursue ISIS elements and hold them accountable for the crimes they committed against Iraqis, especially the crimes of murder, captivity, rape, and the destruction of Iraqi antiquities,” Sistani said, supporting Ritscher’s mission to bring the perpetrators to justice.
ISIL rose to power and seized vast swathes of Iraqi territory in 2014 but was declared territorially defeated in the country in 2017. Iraq’s minority communities and women who the terror group took into captivity suffered untold crimes during their reign, including sexual slavery, rape, and murder.
While the Iraqi army and Peshmerga forces regularly pursue ISIS remnants, the terror group continues to pose a serious security risk to the country, particularly in the disputed areas between Baghdad and Erbil.
A deadly ISIS attack in southern Kirkuk province on Sunday killed at least seven members of the federal Iraqi police, including a senior officer. https://www.rudaw.net/english/middleeast/iraq/181220221
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