Statement by Special Adviser Christian Ritscher During the Return of Remains Ceremony

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Return of Remains Ceremony Kojo

Statement by Mr. Christian Ritscher

Special Adviser and Head of the United Nations Investigative Team

to Promote Accountability for Crimes Committed by Da’esh / ISIL

9 December 2021

Distinguished Representative of the President of Iraq, Prime Minister of Iraq, Prime Minister of the KRG, Governor of Mosul,

Distinguished members of the Yazidi Community; families of the victims; those present here and those who have to go through this moment apart from their hometowns and loved ones,

First of all, allow me to extend my profound and sincere condolences to all Yazidi. You all have greatly suffered from the heinous crimes orchestrated by ISIL terrorists against your community.

We are here to remember and mourn 41 Yazidi victims that have finally returned to their resting places. I pray that today brings the grieving families a tiny measure of solace and one step closer to healing.

This is the second time in less than a year that the Yazidi community receive back their family members. While this is welcomed, we continue to think of all the families who still await news of the whereabouts of their loved ones.

UNITAD will continue to work relentlessly to provide support for Iraqi authorities, in particular the Medical Legal Directorate and the Mass Graves Directorate, until the many thousands of victims of ISIL are discovered, identified, and solemnly returned to their families and communities.

Ladies and gentlemen,

The process of grief and the process of justice coincide in this respect. Both demand that the fate of every victim of ISIL be discovered.

In our resolute quest for justice, UNITAD will continue to document these crimes to bring perpetrators to justice wherever they are, first and foremost in Iraq but even in other countries. And so, there will be more painful ceremonies like this one, as ISIL ruthlessly murdered thousands of victims who are still missing.

UNITAD is very much aware of the scale and gravity of the death and destruction ISIL committed against the Yazidi.

Just last May, the Investigative Team informed the United Nations Security Council that it had found, based on clear and convincing evidence, that genocide was committed by ISIL against the Yazidi as a religious group.

UNITAD also concluded through its independent investigations that, in addition to genocide, ISIL was responsible for acts of extermination, murder, rape, torture, enslavement, persecution and other war crimes and crimes against humanity perpetrated against the Yazidi.

Our investigative work is aimed towards one main and ultimate goal: those who committed such crimes will be held accountable.

Victims, survivors, families and the Yazidi community at large deserve to see justice served. We will continue to work to ensure that this ultimate goal is achieved.

ISIL crimes were not random acts of terrorism. They were war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide. And they should be treated as such.

UNITAD’s investigations should set the path for the prosecution of ISIL members for international crimes in Iraq and allow for trials against ISIL members to commence.

At the same time, as ISIL is an international phenomenon, the pursuit of accountability also requires international resolve. UNITAD has worked to hold accountable ISIL members who perpetrated crimes against the Yazidi and fled Iraq.

In this regard, less than two weeks ago a member of ISIL was convicted to a life sentence for the crime of genocide. This conviction reached in Frankfurt, Germany marks a significant milestone in global efforts to deliver accountability for ISIL international crimes, and towards achieving justice for the victims and survivors of those horrific crimes.

This is the first judgment in which these crimes against the Yazidi community are called what they are: genocide.

The Yazidi have already waited a long time for justice, the wheels of justice turn slowly. The resilience and determination of the Yazidi community, of Yazidi women and girls in particular, are truly inspiring in their demand for justice and accountability for ISIL’s horrifying brutality.

UNITAD will continue to build on this successful partnership with national authorities, you the impacted communities and non-governmental organizations so we can together overcome the many hurdles faced in delivering justice for ISIL crimes.

We all are committed to see perpetrators of these atrocities against you the Yazidi and all affected communities in Iraq held accountable, and that justice is done. 

If we maintain our collective commitment, if we strengthen our unity in addressing the inherent challenges that the scale of ISIL criminality presents, I believe we have the opportunity to turn the tide from impunity to justice.

Finally, I am personally honored to be standing with you today and assure you that you are not forgotten. I am confident that we are one step closer to justice and let me conclude by, again, extending my heartfelt condolences.

I thank you all.