France and Sweden join forces to prosecute ISIS members for crimes against Yazidis and Christians
19/01/2021 France (International Christian Concern) – France and Sweden have announced the decision to organize a joint investigation team to hold former members of ISIS responsible for their crimes against Christians and Yazidis in Iraq, according to a report by the Voice of America. The two countries are joining an existing effort in Europe organized by Yazidi groups to help governments continue to identify individual perpetrators of the 2014 genocide against religious minorities in Iraq and Syria.
French and Swedish officials will work in coordination with the European Union’s Office for Criminal Justice (Eurojust) to identify and investigate crimes committed by foreign militants linked to ISIS.
In a statement, Eurojust clarified the aim of the new partnership. “JIT’s main goal [Joint Investigation Team] will be identifying FTFs [foreign terrorist fighters] who were involved in key international crimes, such as genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes, mainly against members of the Yazidi minority during the armed conflict in Syria and Iraq;“, the group said in a recent statement.
During ISIS ‘expansion and conquest of Iraq’s Nineveh Plain, the extremist group killed or enslaved thousands of Christians and Yazidis who had lived there for centuries. To escape the violence, hundreds of thousands of members of these religious communities fled the region. Following the defeat of ISIS in 2017, many leaders have encouraged Christians and Yazidis to repatriate the countries, although many still fear for their security when they return to Iraq and Syria.
Many human rights groups continue to follow closely as governments investigate these heinous crimes in the hope that more ISIS members will be held accountable for their actions.
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