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IS crimes in Iraq may constitute genocide: UN chief

Xinhua, August 4, 2016 Adjust font size:

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Wednesday said the crimes committed by the Islamic State (IS) in Iraq may constitute war crimes, crimes against humanity and even genocide.

In a statement released by his spokesperson, Ban called on the government of Iraq to continue finding ways to bring the perpetrators of these crimes to justice without delay.

The statement came on the occasion of the second anniversary of the IS capture of Sinjar, a town in northern Iraq, which forced thousands of families, mostly from the Yazidi minority, to leave their homes.

Two years ago during the attacks launched by the IS, "unimaginable atrocities" against the Yazidi minority were conducted: Yazidi men were killed or beheaded; women and girls were sold at market or held in sexual slavery by the IS fighters, according to a UN report.

Ban also called upon all those engaged in the fight against the IS to help release people who remain in the IS captivity, according to the statement.

UN statistics show that over 3,200 women and children are still held by the IS. And most of them are held in Syria where Yazidi women and girls continue to be sexually enslaved and otherwise abused. Endit