The UK Parliament has joined US Secretary of State John Kerry, US House
of Representatives, the European Parliament and the Parliamentary
Assembly of the Council of Europe in describing the actions of Islamic
State (or Da’esh) as genocide.
A motion, passed on Wed 20 April by 280 votes to 0, had been proposed
by Member of Parliament (MP) Fiona Bruce, although the UK government
opposed it, urging MPs on its payroll to abstain from voting. It said it
was wrong to prejudge the issue in a case that may go to the
International Criminal Court (ICC). However, Ms Bruce successfully
argued that the ICC cannot make a judgment on whether violence amounts
to genocide unless nations ask it to do so. "That is why supporting this
motion is so important," she told the UK Parliament.
She said MPs had heard from a woman who had come directly from Syria
and spoke of Christians being killed and tortured, of children being
beheaded in front of their parents and of mothers who had seen their own
children crucified.
Ms. Bruce said that Christians and Yazidis had been targeted explicitly
because of their religion and ethnicity, and that recognition of
‘genocide’ brings obligations on the part of the international community
to prevent, punish and protect.
Scottish MP Ian Blackford suggested that the UK should follow the
example set by the Allied governments in 1942 when they made a joint
statement condemning genocide.
“Just as we stood against genocide then and made sure that those
responsible would face justice, we must now show the required level of
leadership today when we are faced with genocide in Syria and Iraq,” he
said.
“The British government must now urgently push the UN Security Council
to immediately refer these crimes to the International Criminal Court.”
Five dense dossiers are reported to have been compiled detailing these
crimes - by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, the UN Assistance
Mission for Iraq, the US Commission on International Religious Freedom,
the Simon-Skjodt Center for the Prevention of Genocide and the US
Knights of Columbus.
Experts say there has never before been such international support for
recognising a genocide while atrocities are still happening.
In the UK government’s official response to the vote result, Foreign
Minister Tobias Ellwood, who agreed that he personally believed
‘genocide’ to have taken place, said: "I have listened, No. 10 has
listened and the nation has listened to the will of [Parliament] today.
That is important. I commend the efforts of Members in all parts of the
House who have worked tirelessly to ensure that the voices of those who
have been murdered, persecuted or silenced by Da’esh are heard... but
as the Prime Minister has said, genocide is a matter of legal rather
than political opinion.”
Courtesy: World Watch Monitor
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