State Responsibility and the Yazidi Genocide
06/07/2022, 2.00 PM (UK)
House of Lords, London, SW1A 0AA
Live Stream (Zoom) - RSVP for link
DESCRIPTION
The Yazidi Justice Committee (YJC) will convene a High-Level Panel at the UK Parliament on 6 July 2022 at 14:00-16:00 UK time.
The Panel is hosted by our Patron, Baroness Helena Kennedy QC, and will concern 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. 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.
CURRENT PANEL FORMAT
A. Chair: Baroness Helena Kennedy QC, Member of HoL, Director IBAHRI [4 mins]
B. Keynote: Elif Shafak, Award-winning British-Turkish novelist, activist and commentator [6 mins]
C. Community Voice: Dr Leyla Ferman, CEO Women for Justice - [4 mins]
Video Address: Sir Geoffrey Nice QC, Chair, YJC
D. Introduction to Report: Aarif Abraham, Director, Accountability Unit; Convener, International Law, Garden Court North [8 mins]
E. Discussion [35 mins]
- Moderator: Prof. Elizabeth Wilmshurst CMG QC, Honoris Causa, Distinguished Fellow, International Law, Chatham House [4 mins]
- 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
F. Q and A: Led by Chair [30 mins]
ORGANISERS OF THE EVENT
The Yazidi Justice Committee (YJC) was 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 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).
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.
COMPOSITION OF YJC
Patrons: Baroness Helena Kennedy QC; Lord David Alton
Executive Committee: Sir Geoffrey Nice QC, Chair; Aarif Abraham, Founder, & Legal Sub-Committee, Convener.
Co-Founder: Dr Leyla Ferman; States Sub-Committee: Dr Tatyana Eatwell, Convener; Research Sub-Committee: Dr Aldo Zammit-Borda, Convener; Dr Ewelina Ochab, External Adviser; Aswini Weereratne QC, Member.
Jacqueline Jahnel, Legal Assistant & Researcher; Marilena Stegbauer, Admin & Project Assistant.
The project also received support from City, University of London.
FOR PRESS CONTACTS ONLY :-
For enquiries, please contact YJC at:
Email: contact@yazidijustice.com
Website: https://www.yazidijustice.com
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