While noting that the terrorists’ “vicious destruction” of cultural heritage was an attempt to erase Iraq’s diverse history, the Special Adviser said that he continues to be impressed by the country’s ongoing efforts to restore these sites.Moreover, the team assists with a range of investigative steps, including focused interviews with Yazidi witnesses in Iraq and abroad, and the collection of battlefield evidence related to Yazidi enslavement networks.
Making progress
“Only by prosecuting and referring to such barbaric acts as war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide, will we be able to deliver justice to the many victims and survivors and ensure that their voices are heard,” he said.
As part of this approach, UNITAD continues to interview Yazidi women and girls, survivors of sexual enslavement, and others who were able to provide information on their captors, including foreign terrorist fighters.
UNITAD ensures that each of its probes include investigations of sexual and gender-based crimes.
Investigations continue
It brings the team closer to identifying those most responsible “for the range of heinous international crimes committed in Iraq”, he added.
As they continue to look more closely at underlying procurements and financial flows for these weapons, UNITAD investigations have helped to identify those most responsible, leading to the production of dedicated case files.
“Crimes against and affecting children are equally considered as an overarching priority,” said the UN official, reporting that the team has conducted interviews with Da’esh-conscripted Shi’a Turkmen boys.
SA Ritscher @ #UNSC: During the reporting period, we preserved & converted a total of over 4.5 million hard copy pages of documentary evidence from courts across #Iraq to digital formats through close coop. w/ the Iraqi judiciary, the @IraqiGovt & @Kurdistan Regional Government. pic.twitter.com/uZlnQnqpda
Chemical weapons
“I visited the site of Nimrud, which was blown up by ISIL in 2015,” he recounted. “A 3,000-year-old site reduced to a pile of rubble.”
UNITAD will be expanding its investigations into ISIL’s destruction of cultural heritage, Mr. Ritscher informed the Council.
Despite COVID challenges, over the past six months the UNITAD chief reported “great progress.”
Targeting justice
“This is particularly important as tracing money means mapping the organization; understanding its structure; and identifying the hierarchy,” he said.
Much of UNITAD’s work involves carrying out witness interviews, analysing evidence, and drafting case files.