Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the briefing by Mr Karim Asad Ahmad Khan QC, published on 10 May, setting out the United Nations Investigative Team to Promote Accountability Against Da’esh/ISIL Crimes’ (UNITAD) (1) findings of “clear and convincing evidence that genocide was committed by ISIL against the Yazidi as a religious group”, and (2) statement that “The intent of ISIL to destroy the Yazidi, physically and biologically, is manifest in its ultimatum – applied remorselessly to all members of their community – to convert or die”; and what assessment they have made of the letter sent by Mr Khan QC to the President of the Security council on 3 May stating that UNITAD had identified 1,444 potential perpetrators of attacks against the Yazidi community.

We condemn in the strongest terms the atrocities committed by Daesh against all civilians, including Yazidis and other minorities, as well as the majority Muslim population in Syria and Iraq. We note the conviction in a German court on 30 November of a former Daesh fighter for war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide. We will continue to use our position at the UN, including as a permanent member of the UN Security Council, to raise atrocity situations of concern and to support the deployment of all appropriate tools available to the UN in dealing with potential mass atrocities and conflict. Our focus is always on securing an end to violence and protecting civilians.

The UK has contributed £2 million to the United Nations Investigative Team to Promote Accountability for Crimes Committed by Daesh/ISIL (UNITAD), to gather evidence of Daesh crimes in Iraq. We continue to champion, and are committed to, UNITAD's work in gathering evidence of crimes. The UK contributes to the implementation of Iraq's Yazidi Survivor's law which was passed in March 2021 and we continue to work with a wide range of actors to ensure full implementation.