UK Parliament calls ISIS atrocities genocide
ADF International welcomes historic motion recognizing situation in Syria, Iraq as genocide
“Today is a day of hope for every Christian, Yazidi, or member of other religious minorities suffering under the terror reign of ISIS,” said Robert Clarke, an English barrister and director of European advocacy for ADF International who was present at the House during the vote. “The House of Commons urged the government to take charge in recognizing the ongoing genocide in the Middle East in order to ultimately bring it to an end. Rightly so. We have an obligation to prevent and punish this ‘crime above all crimes.’ We cannot remain silent.”ADF International has provided evidence and legal analysis to the UK Parliament, the U.S. State Department, and international institutions, including the European Parliament and the Council of Europe, each of which has gone on to condemn the atrocities perpetrated by ISIS as genocide.
While the UK government has been reluctant to recognize ISIS’s atrocities for what they are, Northern Irish Attorney General John Larkin explicitly used the term “genocide” when referring to the situation of religious minorities in Syria and Iraq in response to a request from Lord Maurice Morrow MLA.
“The most modest commitment to the prevention and punishment of genocide must begin with the obligation to examine candidly and thoroughly what has occurred and to classify it correctly,” Larkin wrote.
The Parliamentary motion follows the results of a recent ComRes Poll* commissioned by ADF International showing that 68 percent of the British public agree that the United Kingdom should use its international influence to ensure ISIS’s atrocities against Christians and other religious minorities are classified as genocide, and that the perpetrators are held accountable.
The ComRes Poll also revealed that…
- 63 percent support the British government officially recognizing the genocide, with just 7 percent opposed.
- 69 percent support the UK raising the issue with the United Nations Security Council with the aim of referring the situation to the International Criminal Court, with just 7 percent opposed.
- 59 percent support the UK conducting a formal inquiry into claims that the so-called Islamic State has committed genocide, with 14 percent opposed.
Find more on the ongoing genocide in the Middle East at http://www.adfinternational.org/stop-genocide.
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ABOUT Robert Clarke
Robert E. Clarke serves as legal counsel and director of European advocacy for ADF International at its office in Vienna, Austria. He specializes in religious freedom issues and cases before the European Court of Human Rights as well as leading efforts across Europe in defence of life, family, and religious freedom. Prior to joining ADF International, Clarke was in-house counsel for the Nursing and Midwifery Council in London, prosecuting cases of medical misconduct. He qualified as a barrister at 2 Bedford Row in London, specializing in criminal and regulatory law. Clarke earned his LL.B with American law from the University of Nottingham with honours in 2012, having spent one year at the University of Virginia School of Law. He also completed the Bar Professional Training Course at Nottingham Law School. Clarke completed the ADF leadership development program to become a Blackstone Fellow in 2011. He is qualified as a barrister and is admitted to the Bar of England and Wales.