Speaker Rewaz Faiq discusses Bill on Special Court for Crimes by ISIS with China’s and Germany’s consul generals in Kurdistan Region

Kurdistan Parliament Speaker Dr. Rewaz Faiq on 16 June continued her meetings with foreign diplomats based in Kurdistan Region to discuss the Bill to Establish the Special Court for Crimes by ISIS. The Speaker met separately with China’s Consul General Ni-Ruchi and Germany’s Acting Consul General Sven Krauspe.

MPs Dr. Bizhar Kochar (KDP), Chair of the Legislative Committee; Rozhan Muhammad Karim (PUK), member of the Legislative Committee; and Balen Ismail (Change), member of the Finance and Economic Affairs Committee, participated in the meetings.

Speaker Faiq gave the diplomats a detailed analysis of the Bill to Establish the Special Court in Kurdistan Region – Iraq for Crimes by ISIS, in particular its international aspects.

The Speaker said, "UN Security Council Resolution 2379 established the creation of an investigative team - UNITAD - to support Iraq’s national efforts to gather evidence of the crimes that ISIS has committed. Establishing a special criminal court in Kurdistan Region for the crimes committed by ISIS does not apply only to the massacres committed by ISIS members who are Iraqi nationals. There are hundreds of ISIS criminals from other countries, so we are looking at this Bill from an international perspective. Now the Bill is at the stage of consultations between lawmakers and legal and academic experts.

Dr. Faiq added, "The Kurdistan Parliament looks forward to hearing the views of the UN Security Council permanent member states, such as China."

Consul General Ni-Ruchi and acting Consul General Krauspe said that their states supported UNSC Resolution 2379 which established UNITAD. They said that they will convey the Kurdistan Parliament’s very important questions and requests to their governments about the Bill.