Written question asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench) on Tuesday, 25 April 2017, in the House of Lords. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 10 May 2017. It was answered by Baroness Anelay of St Johns (Conservative) on Thursday, 27 April 2017 on behalf of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Middle East: Crimes against Humanity

Question: To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they expect prosecution of those alleged to be responsible for genocide and war crimes in Iraq and Syria will begin.

Answer: We are committed to ensuring that those responsible for the most serious crimes of international concern in Iraq and Syria are held to account. The new International, Impartial and Independent Mechanism for Syria, which we co-sponsored, will help collate the necessary evidence for future prosecutions. This complements our support to the existing UN Commission of Inquiry and our funding for the collection of documentary evidence. Meanwhile, investigative and prosecutorial work is already underway across the world to bring Daesh to justice. We are working with the Government of Iraq and other international partners to identify ways to take this work forward, including at the UN, as well as funding projects and specialist organisations to gather and preserve evidence of Daesh atrocities.

Secondary information