France remains fully committed alongside the Iraqis in the fight against Daesh [fr]

Mr. President,

First of all, I would like to thank the Special Adviser, Mr. Karim Khan, for his briefing and commend all the work accomplished in the recent months in a difficult context. I also welcome the presence of the Iraqi Ambassador, which is a sign that the international community and Iraq are working hand in hand to fight impunity, in response to Iraq’s request to this Council.

I would like to begin by reviewing the progress made by the team over the past few months. The investigation team, as we can see, is fully capable of carrying out the mission entrusted to it by this Council in resolution 2379: to collect, preserve and store evidence in Iraq of acts that may constitute war crimes, crimes against humanity and crimes of genocide perpetrated by Daesh in Iraq.

As stated by the Special Adviser, despite the difficult context for the team related to the health crisis, interviews with witnesses and survivors continued by videoconference and thanks to digital technology, secure tools were developed such as the platform allowing witnesses and survivors to submit information remotely, which is very positive. The continued digitization of evidence is equally crucial.

Finally, it is also important that work on the exhumation of mass graves, particularly at the two sites mentioned, be able to continue, after the suspension of activities at the beginning of the year due to COVID-19. The analytical work carried out from mass graves is essential to shed full light on the facts and to hope establishing, before the Iraqi courts or in third countries, the responsibility of the criminals. France will continue to support this work, to enable victims to obtain justice while being protected.

Another essential point that we welcome is the good cooperation between the investigation team and the Iraqi authorities, in particular the Iraqi judicial authorities.

The dialogue initiated with the Iraqi authorities is very positive and will hopefully enrich the team’s database. Progress in national legislation to enable the prosecution of Daesh suspects for international crimes is essential and demonstrates the commitment of the Iraqi authorities.

The ultimate goal is the use of evidence in trials involving Daesh members, in accordance with UN principles and best practices. In this respect, it is important to recall the UN’s consistent position of non-transmission of evidence in judicial proceedings involving the possibility of the death penalty in any place.

Cooperation is also crucial with the relevant UN mechanisms, in particular the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq, which has an important expanded mandate to strengthen the rule of law and the protection of human rights.

In conclusion, I would like to reiterate that France remains fully committed alongside the Iraqis in the fight against Daesh, in all its aspects, including within the international coalition against Daesh. The fight against the impunity of all perpetrators of crimes must be fully integrated into efforts to stabilize, rebuild and reconcile all components of Iraqi society, which are the key to preventing any resurgence of Daesh. The creation of the UNITAD-NGO dialogue forum, which allows for the involvement of all communities, is essential in this regard.

This Council must remain mobilized to prevent the resurgence of Daesh in all its forms, by continuing its support for the efforts undertaken by the Iraqi authorities to meet these challenges and by helping UNITAD to make its work sustainable.

Thank you.