UNSC Denounces Persecution of Iraqi Christians

Local Editor

The United Nations Security Council has denounced militant persecution of Christians and other minorities in Iraq, warning such actions can be considered crimes against humanity.

Over the weekend, hundreds of families fled Mosul, a once-cosmopolitan city that is the country’s second largest.

In a unanimous declaration adopted late Monday, the Council’s 15 member countries condemned "in the strongest terms the systematic persecution of individuals from minority populations and those who refuse its extremist ideology in Iraq by ISIL and associated armed groups," it said, referring to the group’s former name of the so-called "Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant".

"The members of the Security Council further recall that widespread or systematic attacks directed against any civilian populations because of their ethnic background, religious beliefs or faith may constitute a crime against humanity, for which those responsible must be held accountable."

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team