Browsing by Subject "UNITAD"

Between June 2014 and December 2017, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) controlled vast territories in the Middle East, including large territories of Iraq. In this so-called ‘caliphate’, ISIL committed grave abuses of international human rights law, international criminal law, and international humanitarian law – likely amounting to war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide. These atrocities have been widely condemned by the international community, and the call for justice and accountability for these large-scale international crimes was strong. In this context, in 2017, the Government of Iraq requested international assistance to ensure that ISIL would be held accountable for their crimes in Iraq. This call was answered by the United Nations Security Council, which adopted the mandate for UNITAD, an impartial Investigative Team, that would support Iraq’s domestic accountability efforts. In September 2024, however, after several years of cooperation, UNITAD's mandate will abruptly conclude at the request of the Government of Iraq. This development has deeply unsettled the Yazidi community in Iraq, who have been strongly advocating for better accountability efforts to ensure that ISIL is held accountable for the genocide they perpetrated against them. The primary objective of this thesis is to conduct an initial analysis of UNITAD’s mandate termination and its possible effects on the pursuit of accountability for these atrocities committed by ISIL, as well as the wider transitional justice efforts in Iraq. This thesis argues that when it comes to the Yazidi Genocide, the Government of Iraq and the Yazidis approach the atrocities and accountability for them differently. While the Government is very focused on accountability and retributive justice, the Yazidis hope for a more holistic, reconciliation-focused approach. Thus, while UNITAD has contributed greatly to the accountability efforts, it is bound by too narrow a mandate. Due to this, it would likely not have brought the society-wide accountability that the Yazidis were hoping for. This thesis argues that UNITAD and its efforts should not be viewed in a vacuum but instead should be understood as a part contributing to the wider transitional justice process at play.