Stephen Timms – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2016-05-03.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what plans he has to refer to the UN Security Council the evidence being collected by his Department on potential acts of genocide committed by Daesh.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

In August 2014, the UK sponsored UN Security Council resolution 2170 which reaffirmed the call for those who have committed or are responsible for violations of international humanitarian law in Iraq and Syria to be held accountable. UN Security Council resolution 2249, passed in November 2015, confirmed the importance of holding the Islamic State in the Levant (also known as Daesh) to account. These resolutions follow an attempt in May 2014 to have the Security Council refer the situation in Syria to the International Criminal Court which was vetoed by Russia and China.

We continue to discuss with partners on the UN Security Council further ways to ensure that the perpetrators of crimes committed in Syria and Iraq are held to account and face justice. We will do all we can to support gathering and preservation of evidence that could in future be used in a court to hold Daesh to account. Addition as per PQ 35349.