Krigsbrottsåklagare: We want to reach yazidiska witnesses in Sweden

There is a special unit within the police to investigate war crimes, genocide and crimes against humanity. It is different from the unit that is investigating the terrorist incident.

In the tasks included to look at the crimes of the Islamic state of vulnerability of the yazidiska minority in Iraq.

in a report, the 30-year-old yazidiskan Jamila, now a refugee in Sweden, that describe the unspeakable atrocities yazidier shall have been subjected by terrorsekten.

Read more: Questions and answers about the story on IS genocide on the yazidier

"We have for several years been working with these issues and sought witnesses in Sweden who may have information to provide," says Reena Davgun, prosecutor and coordinator of the krigsbrottsåklagarna on riksenheten for the international and organised crime.

Devgun do not want to specifically go into the individual testimonials may be related to the ICE crimes against yazidierna. But krigsbrottsåklagarna look at the crimes committed in Syria and Iraq, and, in general, it may be all the three types of crimes the unit investigates.

– The offences that could be relevant is both genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity.

" We know that there can be witnesses and complainants in Sweden, and to them we are interested in getting in contact with, says Reena Devgun.

reach these people by, for example, reach out to the various associations. One such is the Yazda Sweden, an organization that supports the yazidier and other vulnerable minorities, as mentioned in the DN story.

Yazda is aware that the Swedish prosecutor may investigate war crimes committed in Syria and Iraq. But the awareness is unusual.

– It might not be the first thing you think of as a refugee to Sweden can actually investigate these crimes. Then we want to reach out with it, " says Devgun.

if it is possible to prosecute the offenders, this is a difficulty for the investigators. Another is that many of the plaintiffs, for natural reasons, need time, perhaps several years, before they feel confident and ready enough to testify, " says Reena Davgun.

A third difficulty is that the witnesses in the Swedish trials can not be anonymous towards the suspects, which could lead some to hesitate.

Efforts to investigate suspected war criminals and folkmördare is carried out in cooperation with EU colleagues.

" We have been in contact with Germany, France and Belgium, to name a few countries.

" I think it is important not to start talking about convictions. You have to start somewhere. We must first have the information from the witnesses. But the conditions are good considering the international cooperation.

Mikael Damberg told the dagens nyheter on Saturday that the security service and the police has a close cooperation and share information about ICE-returner. Reena Davgun, who for four years worked with a particular focus on crimes committed in Syria, says that her department ”never received the information that the suspicion of crimes against against humanity or genocide from the security service”.

" If it means that the Fbi does not have any such information, or that they simply do not identify suspicious activity for these crimes, I can not answer.

the united nations describes it as the ICE exposed yazidierna and other religious minorities, as an act of genocide. The Swedish government has however so far not formally recognized it as such a crime.

" No, not for us. We review already the crime. In order to open an investigation, we need not conclude that it committed genocide, it is sufficient that there is reason to adopt it.

– You may distinguish between policy decisions and what our job is. We investigate crimes against individuals.

have called for an international krigsbrottstribunal for ICE-offenders, perhaps in the EU because. Devgun do not believe that such would affect the Swedish krigsbrottsåklagarnas work very much.

And it would probably take time before it can be established. We have been working on this for several years. We will continue, " says Reena Devgun.

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