Chris Hayes (Fowler, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I move:

That this House:

(1) notes that:

(a) since 2014, Daesh (also known as ISIL) has been carrying out terror campaigns against Christians, Assyrians, Mandaeans, Yezidis, and other ethnic and religious minorities in Iraq and Syria;

(b) these campaigns have taken the form of mass murders, torture, rape, kidnappings, sexual enslavement and other crimes; and

(c) these atrocities constitute war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide;

(2) noting that the United Nations mandated Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Syria has declared that Daesh's actions against the Yezidi people amount to genocide, calls on the:

(a) Australian government to refer to the Daesh atrocities as war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide; and

(b) United Nations and member states to co-ordinate measures to prevent further atrocities occurring in Syria and Iraq and take all necessary action to hold those responsible to account; and

(3) commends:

(a) the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, the Lebanese Republic, the Republic of Turkey and the Kurdistan Regional Government in Iraq, for their ongoing support and efforts to shelter and protect those fleeing the violence in Syria and Iraq; and

(b) those nations that are providing a permanent home for Syrian and Iraqi refugees who are escaping persecution and violence.

In the Middle East we are facing the largest displacement of people since the Second World War. However, in this motion I specifically want to deal with the atrocities committed and the horrific means deployed by Daesh in their efforts to achieve their abominable objectives.

Daesh has engaged in abductions, systematic rape, enslaving women and girls and torture, coupled with the mass murder of civilians, and yet there seems to be a reluctance for these atrocities to be called out for what they really are: crimes against humanity, war crimes and genocide. We have all been shocked by Daesh-inspired attacks on the people of France, Kuwait, Tunisia, Turkey and Saudi Arabia. Here in Australia we have not been immune, with the attacks at the Lindt cafe and the killing of Curtis Cheng outside the police headquarters in Parramatta.

All these are acts of terror in support of Islamic State and its perverted objectives. Daesh has deliberately set out not only to destroy those who disagree with their extreme ideology but to destroy the very evidence of the existence of those who it deems to be infidels—particularly the Christians, the Assyrians, Mandaeans, Yezidis and other minorities. It has destroyed churches, blown up monasteries and desecrated cemeteries.

Daesh is genocidal by its nature, by its ideology and, clearly, by its actions. The systematic destruction of the monuments and artefacts of the Assyrian people, who have been indigenous to the region for over 6,000 years demonstrates the resolve of Daesh to recast history devoid of this ancient civilisation. In the Sinjar, Daesh tried to wipe the Yezidis from the very face of the earth by killing, enslavement, sexual slavery, torture and starvation.

Daesh kills Christians because they are Christians. Daesh kills Yezidis because they are Yezidis. It kills and destroys those who refuse to follow its extreme interpretation of Islam. The United Nations council has condemned the systemic violations and abuses of human rights by Daesh. On 13 March 2015, the Office of the UNHCR reported:

It is reasonable to conclude that some of these incidents, … may constitute genocide. Other incidents may amount to crimes against humanity and war crimes.

The US secretary of state, John Kerry, went further when he said:

In my judgement Daesh is responsible for genocide against groups ... under its control, including Yazidis, Christians and Shia Muslims.

Indeed, in June this year, the UN Commission of Inquiry on Syria concluded that Daesh is committing genocide against the Yazidis. In respect of military action currently on foot in Mosul, the UNHCR reported:

Abductions and forced removals of tens of thousands of people from their homes … effectively using [these] men, women and children as human shields.

They went on to say that 232 civilians were shot for refusing to comply with ISIL's instructions.

Motions similar to mine have already been moved in the United Kingdom, the United States and the Council of the European Parliament, recognising the actions of Daesh as genocide. Given Australia's involvement in and commitment to the Middle East, it is appropriate that we now formally recognise that Christians, Assyrians, Mandaeans, Yazidis and other religious and ethnic minorities from Iraq and Syria are suffering genocide at the hands of Daesh. We call on the UN Security Council to have these matters referred to the International Criminal Court, where the perpetrators can one day be brought to justice.

I am proud of our efforts to assist the Syrian refugees, particularly in taking an additional 12,000 people. But the global community owes an enormous debt of gratitude to Jordan, Turkey and Lebanon for their disproportionate efforts to provide humanitarian assistance and safe haven to the majority of people fleeing the violence of Syria.

I call on the government to do all that is necessary to bring this motion to a formal resolution of the House.

Sharon Claydon (Newcastle, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Is the motion seconded?

Kevin Andrews (Menzies, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I second the motion. In fact, I am delighted to support the member for Fowler's motion condemning the Daesh campaign of war crimes and genocide against Christians, Assyrians, Mandaeans, Yazidis and other ethnic and religious minorities in Iraq and Syria and commending those nations that continue to support the people who are fleeing the violence.

Since 2014 the so-called Islamic state, or Daesh, has been carrying out a campaign of terror against various ethnic and religious minorities in Iraq in Syria. There is clear evidence, over and over again now, of mass murders, torture, systemic rape, kidnapping, sexual enslavement and a series of other crimes. As the member for Fowler pointed out, a number of parliaments and government agencies have declared the actions of Daesh to be genocide. These include the United Nations Commission of Inquiry on Syria, the United States Congress, the US State Department, the European Parliament, the Council of Europe, the UK House of Commons and the French Foreign Ministry.

The UN Human Rights Council has also condemned the systemic violations and abuses of human rights and international humanitarian law committed by the so-called Islamic State. On 13 March 2015 the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights reported that:

It is reasonable to conclude in the light of the information gathered overall, that some of these incidents may constitute genocide. Other incidents may amount to crimes against humanity or war crimes.

On 16 June 2016, the UN Commission of Inquiry on Syria concluded that ISIL is committing genocide against Yazidis:

ISIS has committed the crime of genocide as well as multiple crimes against humanity and war crimes against the Yazidis, thousands of whom are held captive in the Syrian Arab Republic where they are subject to the most unimaginable horrors.

Indeed, a series of other reports have come to a similar conclusion.

As the honourable member for Fowler pointed out, there have been motions and resolutions from a range of jurisdictions around the world. I will quote from one or two of them. The United Kingdom House of Commons motion said:

That this House believes that Christians, Yazidis, and other ethnic and religious minorities in Iraq and Syria are suffering Genocide at the hands of Daesh; and calls on the Government to make an immediate Referral to the UN Security Council with a view to conferring jurisdiction upon the International Criminal Court so that perpetrators can be brought to justice.

In a similar manner, there was a concurrent resolution of both the House of Representatives and the Senate in the United States Congress which stated:

That—

(1) the atrocities perpetrated by ISIL against Christians, Yezidis, and other religious and ethnic minorities in Iraq and Syria constitute war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide;

(2) all governments, including the United States, and international organizations, including the United Nations and the Office of the Secretary-General, should call ISIL atrocities by their rightful names: war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide;

(3) the member states of the United Nations should coordinate urgently on measures to prevent further war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide in Iraq and Syria, and to punish those responsible for these ongoing crimes, including by the collection and preservation of evidence and, if necessary, the establishment and operation of appropriate tribunals;

(4) the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, the Lebanese Republic, the Republic of Turkey, and the Kurdistan Regional Government in Iraq are to be commended for, and supported in, their efforts to shelter and protect those fleeing the violence of ISIL and other combatants until they can safely return to their homes in Iraq and Syria; and

(5) the protracted Syrian civil war and the indiscriminate violence of the Assad regime have contributed to the growth of ISIL and will continue to do so as long as this conflict continues.

That resolution was passed by the United States House of Representatives on 14 March this year. Similarly, there have been motions by the European Parliament, which:

Expresses its view that the persecution, atrocities and international crimes amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity; stresses that the so-called 'ISIS/Daesh' is committing genocide against Christians and Yazidis, and other religious and ethnic minorities—

in the region. Similarly, the Council of Europe passed a motion condemning 'in the strongest terms the recent terrorist attacks' and the ongoing activities of Daesh in perpetrating 'acts of genocide and other serious crimes punishable under international law'. As I said, the French foreign minister, Laurent Fabius, said on 25 March 2015:

We are witnessing a true genocide. The Islamic State group in particular kills, enslaves or exiles people who don't think like them.

Finally, to add to the list, John Kerry, the Secretary of State of the US, said:

… in my judgment, Daesh is responsible for genocide against groups in areas under its control, including Yezidis, Christians, and Shia Muslims.

(Time expired)

Michael Danby (Melbourne Ports, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

One of the most terrifying aspects of Daesh's reign in eastern Syria and western Iraq has been this persecution of minorities, particularly the ancient Christian communities that predate Islam in that part of the world and other minorities like the Yazidis. I am going to especially focus on the appalling theology of rape', as The New York Times has called it, and enslavement that Daesh has practised against the Yazidi people in particular. But let's remember some of the other horrifying things that these people have done, particularly to the people of Iraq and eastern Syria.

I think all of us had forgotten the biblical names of Nineveh and Nimrud. I did not even know that there was a tomb of Jonah in Mosul. One of the first things that happened there when they got control of that area was that they blew up the ancient tomb of Jonah, which had existed in that city for thousands of years and which relates to all of our common Abrahamic religions. We all know what Daesh was doing in Palmyra. But it is particularly for the people of that part of the world that I want to express my outrage and support this resolution.

The New York Times, in reporting this particularly ugly activity against the Yazidi people, said:

In the moments before he raped the 12-year-old girl, the—

Daesh—

fighter took the time to explain that what he was about to do was not a sin. Because the preteen girl practiced a religion other than Islam—

his perverted attitude and misreading of his own great religion 'not only gave him the right to rape her—it condoned and encouraged it'. The New York Times said:

The systematic rape of women and girls from the Yazidi religious minority has become deeply enmeshed in the organization and the radical theology of the Islamic State in the year since the group announced it was reviving slavery as an institution … The trade in Yazidi women and girls has created a persistent infrastructure, with a network of warehouses where the victims are held, viewing rooms where they are inspected and marketed, and a dedicated fleet of buses used to transport them.

The article said that more than 5,000 Yazidis were abducted the year before, and 3,100 were still being held, according to their community leaders. To handle them, Daesh had a detailed bureaucracy of sex slavery, including sales contracts notarised by ISIS Islamic courts, and the practice had become an established recruiting tool to lure crazy people from the kinds of societies where casual sex was taboo and dating was forbidden.

Like previous speakers, I am proud of the role that Australia has played. We have legislation acting against people who like to perpetrate the same activities here in Australia. We have passed five tranches of legislation, we have troops advising the people in that area so that the Iraqi forces can capture back and control Mosul. We have proposed—Tanya Plibersek, the Turkish government and even Hillary Clinton, who was unfortunately beaten—a no-fly zone in northern Syria which would have been the most effective way of protecting people from attack by both the Assad forces and by Daesh. Unfortunately it does not seem that that is going to happen now.

I agree with the mover of this motion that we have to pay tribute to Turkey, which has 2,700,000 refugees, to Lebanon, which has one million refugees, Jordan 655,000 and Iraq, in mainly the Kurdish zones, 230,000 people. We have to be consistent on this when these people try to do this in any part of the world, and that includes what the young Daesh and Hamas supporters are trying to do in Israel too—they would do the same to the Jews if they had the power to do it in that part of the world, but fortunately they are able to act very strongly against them. We have to be consistent all over the world, including here in Australia, to act against these people in a legal and measured way. (Time expired)

Anne Aly (Cowan, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I commend the motion to recognise Daesh atrocities as war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide. Like previous speakers, I also commend the member for Fowler. Terror inflicted by Daesh is a theatre of jihads within the broader violent jihadist movement, and so we must be ever vigilant that new theatres of jihad will continue to emerge as long as there continues to be unrest and conflict in parts of the Middle East and as long as the ideology of violent jihadism continues to attract individuals prepared to use violence.

I spoke in this chamber last week on the member for Canning's motion noting that that these mujahideen, as they term themselves, will follow the conflict to the next theatre of jihad—as those before them have done. I also spoke of the need to revise the conventional wisdom that Daesh could be defeated by military means alone. Assymetric warfare typically describes a conflict situation in which one side has a strategic advantage because they are willing to use tactics that the other side is either unable or unwilling to use. These tactics have no regard for the conventions of warfare—they indiscriminately target individuals and innocents and constitute crimes against humanity

As a woman, I feel compelled here to speak about the disproportionate suffering of women under the hands of the brutal Daesh. The United Nations, among others, has acknowledged that women and children, by and large, are the most affected by war. Daesh's terror campaign includes rape and sexual enslavement, among other crimes. The plight of the Yazidi women who have been enslaved by Daesh, treated as war booty, used and abused, raped and tortured is but one gross example of Daesh's atrocious war crimes. Those few who have managed to escape have told of unimaginable terror—being sold for a mere few cigarettes, beaten if they refuse or resist and threatened with death should they try to escape. Such is the plight of Yazidis and other religious minorities targeted by Daesh

Before 2003, the Christian population in Iraq numbered 1.4 million. Today, it is estimated at 250,000 and an estimated 3,600 Yazidis—mostly women and children—remain missing, thought to be held captive by Daesh.

It is very clear from the first rising of Daesh that their mission was to establish a religiously pure state. Terrorist organisations that have the goal of religious purity are certainly not new. Having studied the history of terrorism and having written a book about it, I do not think it is a reach to say that Daesh is among the world's most destructive forces, prepared to wipe out all those who do not agree with them.

Daesh are also guilty of cultural genocide, eradicating not only the minorities they target but also systematically destroying their history, their language and their historical sites—both Islamic and non-Islamic. They have destroyed several sites across Iraq, looted Mosul Museum, destroyed the 3,000-year-old Assyrian city of Nimrud, and bulldozed the 2,000-year-old fortress in the city of Hatra and the 2,000-year-old Syrian statues in the ancient city of Palmyra, in what UNESCO refers to as cultural cleansing. The destruction of the relics attacks the heart of the nationalist identities of the peoples in Iraq and Syria. It is purposeful—designed to eradicate borders, both real and cultural, in order to conquer and establish a so-called Islamic State.

There is no easy way to defeat this scourge. Simply going in and bombing them is not enough; we need to also focus our efforts on stopping the spread of their ideology. This is a long war, a long battle, and one which has created one of the worst humanitarian crises the modern world has ever seen. We must understand that Syrians and Iraqis fleeing violence are fleeing Daesh. They are fleeing a conflict in which one side will stop at nothing and will do anything with no regard for human life. They are not fleeing a normal war. This is not the kind of conflict where armies fight against each other on well-worn battlefields. This is asymmetrical warfare, where the currency is human lives and the combatants know no boundaries.

I therefore commend this motion to the House and urge the government to work with the United Nations and member states in holding Daesh accountable for war crimes and genocide.

Lucy Wicks (Robertson, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The time allotted for this debate has expired. The debate is adjourned and the resumption of the debate will be made an order of the day for the next sitting.