US says ISIS guilty of genocide against Christians, other minorities

March 17, 2016

US Secretary of State John Kerry has issued an official finding that the Islamic State is guilty of genocide against Christians and other minorities in Syria and Iraq.

The formal finding by the State Department comes just before a deadline imposed by Congress, and in fact a spokesman had earlier told reporters that the State Department would not meet that deadline. The March 17 announcement does not trigger any other action by the United States. Kerry said that he was "neither judge nor prosecutor nor jury" in the matter, and any charges against the Islamic State would have to be brought before an international court.

Nevertheless Kerry said that the "despicable" actions of the Islamic State are genocidal "by self-acclimation, by ideology, and by practice."

 

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Further information:

• Kerry Determines IS Group Committing Genocide in Iraq, Syria (Bloomberg)