The report also urged Iraqi authorities to investigate alleged violations and human rights abuses by ISF and associated forces during the military operation. It recorded 461 civilian deaths as a result of airstrikes during the most intensive phase of the ISF-led offensive from 19 February. In almost all cases, UNAMI/OHCHR could not determine the responsibility for the airstrikes, but the report urged that all civilian casualties in which the international community was involved be thoroughly investigated and the results made public.
It also called on the Government of Iraq and the Kurdistan Regional Government to ensure that crimes committed in connection to the armed conflict are subject to the jurisdiction of national courts and tribunals. It urged Iraq to introduce amendments to national legislation to grant domestic jurisdiction over international crimes and to accept the International Criminal Court’s jurisdiction with respect to the specific situation Iraq is facing, as an immediate step.
The report stated that by prosecuting those responsible for “international crimes” in Mosul the Iraqi authorities would be sending a message to the people of Iraq who have suffered, no matter when or where, that justice is eventually delivered.
It added that ensuring justice would be vital to the process of rebuilding trust between communities in Iraq, and the key to lasting reconciliation in the country.
View full report at: http://www.uniraq.org/images/factsheets_reports/Mosul_report%2017Oct2016-10Jul201731%20October_2017.pdf
(Source: UNAMI)
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