Prime Minister Masrour Barzani receives Head of UN team investigating ISIS crimes

Erbil, Kurdistan Region, Iraq (GOV.KRD) - Prime Minister Masrour Barzani on Sunday met with Karim Khan, Head of the United Nation’s Investigative Team to Promote Accountability for Crimes Committed by ISIS (UNITAD), to discuss the team’s progress and ongoing efforts.

Prime Minister Barzani commended the team on carrying out its immense tasks, underlining the importance of truth-seeking and the right for victims and their relatives to find justice and closure. He noted that the people of the Kurdistan Region understand that knowledge of its past and the oppression it experienced is part of its heritage, and expressed the Kurdistan Regional Government’s readiness to provide assistance in holding the terrorist organization accountable for its crimes.

The two officials agreed that proper documentation of the crimes and violations committed by ISIS in Iraq were only one step toward justice for victims, and highlighted the need for greater coordination between the Kurdistan Regional Government, the Federal Government of Iraq, and their judicial institutions in the prosecution of ISIS criminals.

Prime Minister Barzani affirmed to Khan that the Kurdistan Regional Government is committed to preventing these heinous crimes against humanity from recurring in Iraq and called on the international community to help compensate victims who suffered atrocities under ISIS and during the war. He stressed that rebuilding affected areas should be a priority to allow for the safe and dignified return of victims to their ancestral homes.