News
Latest News
news bulletin
Breaking Headlines
Israel-Gaza War Updates
Variety and Tech
Sports News
Middle East News
World News
Lebanon News
Press Highlights
Lebanon Economy
News Bulletin Reports
Other News
Breaking Headlines
Israel-Gaza War Updates
Variety and Tech
Sports News
Middle East News
World News
Lebanon News
Press Highlights
Lebanon Economy
News Bulletin Reports
Beirut
28
o
Bekaa
19
o
Keserwan
29
o
Metn
29
o
Mount Lebanon
23
o
North
29
o
South
28
o
Live
Video
Audio
Schedule
shows
العربية
watching now
The Stage
SUBSCRIBE
Home
Notification
Live
Video
Audio
shows
Beirut
28
o
Bekaa
19
o
Keserwan
29
o
Metn
29
o
Mount Lebanon
23
o
North
29
o
South
28
o
News
Programs
The News
Breaking Headlines
Israel-Gaza War Updates
Variety and Tech
Sports News
Middle East News
World News
Lebanon News
Press Highlights
Lebanon Economy
News Bulletin Reports
Programs
Documentaries
Lebanon’s Centennial
News Bulletin
The Untold History
Talk Show
Series
Sports
Variety
Other
Comedy
Oldies
Breaking News
Latest News
Highlighted News
Most Read
Videos
العربية
Watch the latest programs and the latest developments on your favorite screen
Shows
Join millions of followers
Who We Are
Contact Us
Advertise With Us
Careers
Channel frequencies
Privacy Policy
Terms and Conditions
UN mission probing Islamic State crimes forced to shut in Iraq
Middle East News
2024-03-20 | 02:44
High views
Share
Share
5
min
UN mission probing Islamic State crimes forced to shut in Iraq
A United Nations mission set up to help Iraq investigate alleged Islamic State genocide and war crimes is being forced to shut prematurely before it can finish its probes, following a souring of its relationship with the Iraqi government.
The removal of the UN mission set up in 2017 comes nearly a decade after the extremist group rampaged across Syria and Iraq and at a time when many of the Islamic State's victims still live displaced in camps and long for justice.
"Is the work done? Not yet, this is pretty clear," Christian Ritscher, head of the UN Investigative Team to Promote Accountability for Crimes Committed by Daesh (UNITAD), told Reuters in an interview.
"We need more time... If you look at an end-date of September 2024, we will not achieve completion of all investigative lines," nor other projects such as creating a central archive for millions of pieces of evidence, he said.
Ritscher was speaking at length about the closure for the first time since the UN Security Council in September renewed the agency's mandate for only one final year at Iraq's request.
UNITAD's international backers and donors had expected its work would continue for several more years.
Critics of Iraq's decision to end the mission say it will hamper efforts to hold more members of IS accountable after UNITAD contributed to at least three convictions on charges of genocide and other international crimes in Germany and Portugal.
They also say it casts doubt on Iraq's commitment to holding IS members accountable for such crimes at home at a time when the vast majority of convictions in Iraq are made for simple membership of a terrorist organization rather than specific crimes such as sexual abuse or slavery.
From Iraq's perspective, UNITAD was no longer needed and had not successfully cooperated with Iraqi authorities, Farhad Alaaldin, foreign affairs adviser to the prime minister, told Reuters.
"In our view, the mission has ended, and we appreciate the work that has been done, and it's time to move on," he said, noting the mission "didn't respond to repeated requests for sharing evidence" and must now do so before it ends.
But that transfer of information appears uncertain.
UNITAD was set up to help Iraq hold IS members accountable for international crimes - genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity - but Iraq has not passed legislation for that to happen in-country, leaving UNITAD "in a waiting position," Ritscher said.
Additionally, UNITAD was reluctant to share evidence it gathered with Iraqi authorities because of Iraq's use of the death penalty, which goes against UN policy, according to six people familiar with the mission's work.
These factors put UNITAD in the awkward position of gathering evidence, including hundreds of witness testimonies, in Iraq but mainly using that evidence in legal processes abroad, in a mismatch that festered for years.
Reuters spoke to nine diplomats and international officials and four Iraqi sources to piece together this account of how UNITAD's mission came to be curbed and the consequences it may have for accountability efforts.
Apart from the baked-in mismatch between the mission's goals and Iraq's expectations, six people said that under Ritscher, a seasoned German prosecutor, UNITAD had not properly invested in the politics of dealing with Iraqi authorities, harming the relationship.
"Death penalty was always a main issue with UNITAD. Its mandate was far-fetched, but many hoped it could work," a senior international diplomat said, referring to the incompatibility between goals and expectations.
"Added to that, the current leadership did not have the political skills to reach out. That doesn't work here in Iraq. Everything is highly political here."
In response to that comment, a UNITAD spokesperson said the mission had absolute clarity from the beginning that it existed under the request of Iraq, and was always convinced the Iraqi judiciary was its main partner.
The spokesperson noted UNITAD's production of joint case files with the Iraqi judiciary for trials abroad, as well as capacity-building for judges and cooperation on the exhumation of 70 mass graves and dignified burials for IS victims.
Reuters
Middle East News
United Nations
Mission
Probing
Islamic State
Crimes
Iraq
UNITAD
Next
Houthis: Fuel tanker in the Red Sea targeted with missiles
At least 15 killed in Israeli airstrike targeting a house in central Gaza: Reuters
Previous
Related Articles
d-none hideMe
0
Middle East News
2024-06-11
Iraqi forces kill senior Islamic State leader in a raid in Syria
Middle East News
2024-06-11
Iraqi forces kill senior Islamic State leader in a raid in Syria
0
Middle East News
2024-05-31
Security Council decides to withdraw UN mission from Iraq by the end of 2025
Middle East News
2024-05-31
Security Council decides to withdraw UN mission from Iraq by the end of 2025
0
Middle East News
2024-05-16
UN mission in Iraq expresses concern over the increase in executions linked to terrorism
Middle East News
2024-05-16
UN mission in Iraq expresses concern over the increase in executions linked to terrorism
0
Middle East News
2024-05-15
Islamic State-suspected gunmen kill Iraqi soldier
Middle East News
2024-05-15
Islamic State-suspected gunmen kill Iraqi soldier
Recommended For You
d-none hideMe
0
News Bulletin Reports
13:06
Netanyahu's conditions: Israel and Hamas struggle to overcome deadlock in ongoing negotiations
News Bulletin Reports
13:06
Netanyahu's conditions: Israel and Hamas struggle to overcome deadlock in ongoing negotiations
0
News Bulletin Reports
13:05
War resolution: Netanyahu confronted with ceasefire demands in talks with US leaders
News Bulletin Reports
13:05
War resolution: Netanyahu confronted with ceasefire demands in talks with US leaders
0
Israel-Gaza War Updates
08:00
WHO sends over 1 million polio vaccines to Gaza to protect children
Israel-Gaza War Updates
08:00
WHO sends over 1 million polio vaccines to Gaza to protect children
0
Middle East News
07:01
Italy appoints ambassador to Syria to 'turn spotlight' on country
Middle East News
07:01
Italy appoints ambassador to Syria to 'turn spotlight' on country
Subscribe to our VOD
SUBSCRIBE
Our visitors readings
d-none hideMe
0
World News
2024-07-17
Maersk: Disruptions to container shipping via Red Sea have expanded
World News
2024-07-17
Maersk: Disruptions to container shipping via Red Sea have expanded
0
Lebanon News
10:42
US President Biden issues deferred enforced departure for Lebanese nationals, protecting them from deportation for 18 months
Lebanon News
10:42
US President Biden issues deferred enforced departure for Lebanese nationals, protecting them from deportation for 18 months
0
World News
2024-07-06
China anchors 'monster ship' in South China Sea: Philippine coast guard
World News
2024-07-06
China anchors 'monster ship' in South China Sea: Philippine coast guard
0
Lebanon News
2024-07-21
Israeli military confirms targeting Hezbollah ammunition depots in southern Lebanon
Lebanon News
2024-07-21
Israeli military confirms targeting Hezbollah ammunition depots in southern Lebanon
Videos
d-none hideMe
0
World News
2024-07-21
Full Transcript: Trump's Coordinator of Arab Relations Discusses Plan to Win Arab Voters and Achieve Peace
World News
2024-07-21
Full Transcript: Trump's Coordinator of Arab Relations Discusses Plan to Win Arab Voters and Achieve Peace
0
Lebanon News
2024-07-18
Two dead in Israeli airstrike on Jmeijmeh, south Lebanon (Video)
Lebanon News
2024-07-18
Two dead in Israeli airstrike on Jmeijmeh, south Lebanon (Video)
0
Lebanon News
2024-07-11
Hezbollah's Ibrahim Moussawi to CNN: Regional powers do not seek full-scale conflict
Lebanon News
2024-07-11
Hezbollah's Ibrahim Moussawi to CNN: Regional powers do not seek full-scale conflict
0
Lebanon News
2024-07-09
Hezbollah’s "Hudhud" shows new footage of Israeli sites
Lebanon News
2024-07-09
Hezbollah’s "Hudhud" shows new footage of Israeli sites
0
Lebanon News
2024-06-18
Hezbollah scouts areas in northern Israel: What the hoopoe came back with (Video)
Lebanon News
2024-06-18
Hezbollah scouts areas in northern Israel: What the hoopoe came back with (Video)
0
Lebanon News
2024-06-12
Over 100 rockets launched from southern Lebanon toward northern Israel (Video)
Lebanon News
2024-06-12
Over 100 rockets launched from southern Lebanon toward northern Israel (Video)
0
Lebanon News
2024-06-10
Video shows Israeli drone downing in Iqlim al-Tuffah, South Lebanon
Lebanon News
2024-06-10
Video shows Israeli drone downing in Iqlim al-Tuffah, South Lebanon
0
Middle East News
2024-05-21
Funeral ceremony of the Iranian president begins in Tabriz (Video)
Middle East News
2024-05-21
Funeral ceremony of the Iranian president begins in Tabriz (Video)
0
Lebanon News
2024-05-14
Exclusive LBCI interview: Canadian FM urges ceasefire and Resolution 1701 adherence in Lebanon talks, discusses Canadian support for LAF, UNIFIL
Lebanon News
2024-05-14
Exclusive LBCI interview: Canadian FM urges ceasefire and Resolution 1701 adherence in Lebanon talks, discusses Canadian support for LAF, UNIFIL
Most read
d-none hideMe
24 hours
7 days
Month
1
Lebanon News
10:32
The Countdown Is On! Summer's Most Awaited Event: Miss Lebanon, Live Tomorrow at 8:30 PM on LBCI and lbcgroup.tv
Lebanon News
10:32
The Countdown Is On! Summer's Most Awaited Event: Miss Lebanon, Live Tomorrow at 8:30 PM on LBCI and lbcgroup.tv
2
Lebanon News
10:42
US President Biden issues deferred enforced departure for Lebanese nationals, protecting them from deportation for 18 months
Lebanon News
10:42
US President Biden issues deferred enforced departure for Lebanese nationals, protecting them from deportation for 18 months
3
Lebanon News
11:33
US President Biden’s deferred enforced departure for Lebanese nationals is not an indication of imminence of further escalation
Lebanon News
11:33
US President Biden’s deferred enforced departure for Lebanese nationals is not an indication of imminence of further escalation
4
Lebanon Economy
02:19
Fuel prices decrease in Lebanon
Lebanon Economy
02:19
Fuel prices decrease in Lebanon
5
Middle East News
00:05
Rockets launched at Ain al-Asad airbase in Iraq, no casualties
Middle East News
00:05
Rockets launched at Ain al-Asad airbase in Iraq, no casualties
6
World News
06:12
Airport at Franco-Swiss border evacuated for 'security reasons'
World News
06:12
Airport at Franco-Swiss border evacuated for 'security reasons'
7
World News
00:55
Harris urges Netanyahu to alleviate Gaza's suffering: 'I will not be silent'
World News
00:55
Harris urges Netanyahu to alleviate Gaza's suffering: 'I will not be silent'
8
News Bulletin Reports
13:05
War resolution: Netanyahu confronted with ceasefire demands in talks with US leaders
News Bulletin Reports
13:05
War resolution: Netanyahu confronted with ceasefire demands in talks with US leaders
Download now the LBCI mobile app
To see the latest news, the latest daily programs in Lebanon and the world
Google Play
App Store
We use
cookies
We use
cookies
to make
your experience on this
website better.
Accept
Learn More