The Yazidi Justice Committee will launch a key report on State Responsibility and the Yazidi Genocide on 06 July
The Bar Human Rights Committee of England & Wales (BHRC) is a member organisation of the Yazidi Justice Committee (YJC), formed in early 2020 as an ad hoc body of the following organisations: Accountability Unit; Women for Justice; International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute (IBAHRI); Bar Human Rights Committee of England and Wales; and the Geoffrey Nice Foundation.
Since March 2020, YJC has been investigating allegations of genocide committed against the Yazidis from early 2013 by the armed group, the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS), in the Syrian Arab Republic (Syria) and the Republic of Iraq (Iraq). The Patrons of the YJC are Baroness Helena Kennedy QC and Lord David Alton, and the Committee is supported by an Executive Committee of which BHRC Vice-Chair Aswini Weereratne QC is a Member.
YJC’s primary objective was to determine whether the alleged violations of international law relating to genocide can be brought before a court of law in order that States who may be legally responsible for the commission of, or failure to prevent, the possible genocide of the Yazidis, are held accountable in addition to individual perpetrators.
To this end, YJC will convene a High-Level Panel at the UK Parliament on 6 July 2022 at 14:00-16:00 UK time. The Panel will be chaired by YJC Patron, Baroness Helena Kennedy QC, Member of the House of Lords, Director of the International Bar Association Human Rights Institute (IBAHRI), and Advisory Board Member of BHRC, and moderated by Professor Elizabeth Wilmshurst CMG QC Honoris Causa, Distinguished Fellow, International Law, Chatham House.
The Panel will serve as a platform for the launch of a major international report advancing the issue of state responsibility for the Yazidi genocide with contributions from leading practitioners and prominent politicians. Elif Shafak, award-winning British-Turkish novelist, activist and commentator, will deliver the Panel Keynote, and Panel Speakers will include:
– Dr Fleur Anderson MP, Chair of APPG on Genocide and CAH
– Dr Tatyana Eatwell, Head of Doughty Street International, Doughty Street Chambers
– Dr Ewelina Ochab, Programme Lawyer, IBAHRI
– Dr Aldo Zammit Borda, Reader, International Law, City University
The Panel is Co-Sponsored by the APPG for the Prevention of Genocide and Crimes Against Humanity and the APPG on the Yazidis. The Panel is being held under the auspices of the International Ministerial Conference 2022 to Promote Freedom of Religion or Belief hosted by the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Development Office.
To virtually attend the High-Level Panel on 6 July 2022 at 14:00-16:00 UK time, please RSVP for Zoom link: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_F6VVrllFTnGxlGRn-raKtQ
For more information on the YJC, please visit : https://www.yazidijustice.com .
