Investigative Results
The Investigative Team concluded its mandate on 17 September 2024 pursuant to Security Council resolution 2697 (2023), and is no longer operational. This website captures its work and overall achievements. It is not updated.
In line with paragraph 5 of the Terms of Reference (S/2018/118, Annex), the Investigative Team collected evidence pertaining to acts committed by ISIL (Da’esh) in Iraq that may amount to war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide, including by conducting witness interviews, and receiving information – physical and digital – from several diverse sources to support its investigative work.
These investigations covered ISIL (Da’esh) crimes committed against all affected communities in Iraq, including the Christian, Kaka’i, Shabak, Shi’a, Sunni, Turkmen and Yazidi, between 2014-2017. Additionally, thematic lines of investigation were also initiated relating to their crimes against women and children, and the financial dimension of their international crimes. Pursuant to paragraph 20 of the Terms of Reference, in its procedures and practice, the Investigative Team sought to obtain the free, prior and informed consent of all information providers and recorded it with respect to the collection and eventual sharing.
The Investigative Team formulated factual and, where appropriate, legal findings in relation to each line of investigation. Such findings were based on the evidence collected. Witnesses were first screened to ascertain the relevance of the information they possessed for the various lines of investigation and, if the information was found to be relevant, they were interviewed. While factual assessments regarding the historical and political background of the various lines of investigation relied substantially on open-source information, factual findings regarding crimes and perpetrators were based on a combination of testimonial, audio-visual, forensic and documentary evidence. To the extent possible, such findings relied on corroborated evidence. Where this was unfeasible, findings were made in the conditional (“may have”, “reportedly”, “likely”).
Factual and legal findings were made by the Team in accordance with the “reasonable grounds to believe” evidentiary threshold. This standard was not applied to every piecemeal assertion. Rather, it was applied to the ultimate findings as to the crimes committed and the individual criminal responsibility of suspected perpetrators of those crimes. The collection of evidence was conducted through trauma-informed and victim-centered approaches.
Twenty (20) case assessments and analytical reports were delivered to the relevant Iraqi authorities. One (1) additional report was prepared as a public version only. Some of these have public versions linked within the relevant factsheets below. Some case assessments and analytical reports have no public version due to the nature of the information and conclusion of the mandate. Nevertheless, all lines of investigation are described in the factsheets.