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Amal Clooney, Yazidi rape victim demand prosecution of Islamic State

ASSOCIATED PRESS

British lawyer Amal Clooney attends a press conference with former Maldives president Mohamed Nasheed in London on Jan. 25. Clooney is pushing for the United Nations to investigate and prosecute Islamic State commanders for genocide.

UNITED NATIONS » Joined by human rights lawyer Amal Clooney, a Yazidi woman who described praying for death while being raped by her Islamic State captors called on world leaders today to step up efforts to bring the militants group to justice for genocide and other crimes.

The two women said not one Islamic State militant has been tried for atrocities. British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson suggested that could change soon.

Johnson, whose country helped organize a meeting of foreign ministers to address efforts to prosecute Islamic State militants, said he and Iraqi Foreign Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari would urge the U.N. to take the lead on “the vital gathering and the preserving of evidence” of crimes committed by the group.

Nadia Murad, who was captured by the militants in 2014, said she was repeatedly raped and prayed for death until she escaped. Named U.N. special ambassador last week, the 23-year-old appealed to the world to “stop the extermination of my people.”

“Why is a survivor like me knocking on the door of the International Court of Justice to get justice?” she said at the meeting, held on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly summit.

Clooney, Murad’s legal representative, said Yazidi victims “want to appear before a judge.” She urged the U.N. Security Council to focus on “genocide against Yazidis.”

IS, she said, “has vowed to wipe them out simply because they are Yasidis” and noted that “there has not been a single member of ISIS held accountable anywhere in the world for its genocide.”

Earlier, Clooney told NBC’s “Today” show that she discussed with her husband, George Clooney, her effort to legally fight the IS group. She said he understands “this is my work.”

6 responses to “Amal Clooney, Yazidi rape victim demand prosecution of Islamic State”

  1. WizardOfMoa says:

    Beauty, brains, and bravery, three B’s for justice! Good luck!

  2. wave1 says:

    Agree, prosecute the bastards and I will send a donation to her cause f daish…

  3. wave1 says:

    Agree, and I will send a donation to her cause. F daish

  4. cojef says:

    Wonder if she is barking up a dead beat tree? Further she is focusing the limelight on herself like celebrities do and become a target.

  5. Ronin006 says:

    The best way to bring the IS terrorists to justice is to hunt them down and serve justice on them where they are found. Let’s not capture them alive and confine them in a place like Guantanamo Bay where someone like Obama might grant them rights under the US Constitution and ultimately release them to fight, rape and kill again.

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