SULAIMANI (ESTA) — The Kurdistan Region judicial council on Thursday met with a delegation from the British consulate general in Erbil to discuss the establishment of a special court for the trial of Islamic State (ISIS) militants.
The delegation led by deputy consul general Mel Smart discussed with head of the Kurdistan Region’s judicial council Bangin Qasem several issues, including the opening of workshop courses for judges and members of public prosecutors, the judicial council said in a statement.
The two sides also discussed the establishment of a special court to prosecute members of the Islamic State (ISIS) militants in the Kurdistan Region, the statement read.
In April, the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Council of Ministers approved a draft legislation to establish a special court in the Region to prosecute ISIS militants for their crimes against humanity and for genocide.
“Once voted on and passed into law, this legislation will create the necessary legal framework to prosecute ISIS terrorists for their crimes against our peoples and humanity at large, through a national court in Erbil,” KRG Prime Minister Masrour Barzani said.
“I know this legislation will not heal the deep wounds of victims, particularly the Yazidi people and other groups. But it will be a pathway towards accountability, closure and above all justice,” he added.
He urged the Kurdistan parliament to see the draft legislation as a “priority and lose no time passing it”.
The legislation introduced to the Kurdistan parliament has raised the possibility that suspects detained in the years since the group’s collapse could be transferred to a court in the Kurdistan Region to be prosecuted with international backing.
Thousands of accused ISIS members have been detained in Iraq, with many brought before local courts.
