A UN report acknowledges war crimes committed against Christians in Iraq

The report of the UN investigation team formed by the United Nations concluded that the crimes committed by the Islamic State in Iraq are crimes against humanity and have targeted Christians in the country.

Published by the United Nations, the report stated that the results of investigations and preliminary evidence prove that extremist groups affiliated with the Islamic State had targeted Christians, in particular when they took control of many Iraqi cities in 2014.

Submitted to the Security Council, it included several issues, such as the forced displacement of Christians, forcing them to convert to Islam, the confiscation of their homes and property, and the destruction of churches and other archaeological and religious sites.

The report talked about the most important leaders who participated in the operations through which the armed groups took control of the most prominent Christian areas in the Nineveh Plain, north of Mosul, the second largest city in Iraq. These included Hamdaniya, Karmles, and Bartella. The organization forced Christians in these areas to convert to Islam or leave their homes within a certain period of time. During this period, thousands of families fled to northern regions of Iraq.

In the same context, the Chaldean Archbishop of Erbil, Bashar Warda, commented, through the “ACI MENA” agency, on the UN report that was published Thursday, saying, “The UN resolution constitutes an addition. We have begun the process of publicizing this massacre and the events since 2014, and we have presented to international delegations live evidence about the crimes committed by the terrorist organizations.

Archbishop Warda also spoke about the fact that the ideology followed by these groups is not new, as the idea supporting the establishment of an Islamic state governed by Islamic law has existed before. He pointed out that there are scholars and jurists who opposed the project of establishing an Islamic state in light of the criminal acts committed by the armed organizations.

Archbishop Warda added, “The international recognition constitutes strength and restores the dignity of the people and is recorded in history, so that this tragedy does not happen again, and to compensate the victims. We hope that the U.S. government will work with the Iraqi authorities to obtain these rights.

The Chaldean Church in Erbil had a major role in providing refuge during the biggest crises Christians have faced in decades, as it worked with the Knights of Colombus and other international bodies to establish investigation committees for the crimes committed against hundreds of thousands of Christians. These strenuous efforts led to the former US President Donald J Trump and the US house of Representatives approval of the criminalization of the war against Christians in Iraq.