’ISIL’s’ Ethnic, Religious Cleansing Campaign a Crime Against Humanity: UN Rights Chief

Local Editor

UN human rights chief Navi Pillay said on Monday that a ruthless campaign of "ethnic and religious cleansing" by the so-called "Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant" [ISIL] extremists in Iraq amounted to a crime against humanity.

Pillay said in a statement: "They are systematically targeting men, women and children based on their ethnic, religious or sectarian affiliation and are ruthlessly carrying out widespread ethnic and religious cleansing in the areas under their control." 

She said ISIL's reign of terror involved targeted killings, forced conversions, abductions, trafficking, slavery, abuse, and destruction of holy and cultural sites.

"Grave, horrific human rights violations are being committed daily by ISIL and associated armed groups," Pillay said.

"Such persecution would amount to crimes against humanity," she added.

Pillay also condemned the forced recruitment of boys aged 15 and above, and their reported deployment of such youths as human shields on the front line.

Additionally, she said the United Nations had verified reports of a massacre of up to 670 detainees by the ISIL extremists after they overran a prison in Iraq's northern city of Mosul on June 10.

Pillay called on local authorities and the international community to "take all necessary measures and spare no effort to protect members of ethnic and religious communities.

The Takfiri militants, who already occupied parts of Syria, launched an offensive in Iraq in June, committing heinous crimes in the area.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team