19 February 2015

Does the U.N. move too slowly in regard to the Islamic State?

Reports broke on December 5, 2014 of the sale of human organs by the Islamic State as one of its principle sources of funding:
The third funding source was exposed by otolaryngologist Siruwan al-Mosuli. He said that lately he noticed unusual movement within medical facilities in Mosul. Arab and foreign surgeons were hired, but prohibited from mixing with local doctors. Information then leaked about organ selling. Surgeries take place within a hospital and organs are quickly transported through networks specialized in trafficking human organs. Mosuli said that the organs come from fallen fighters who were quickly transported to the hospital, injured people who were abandoned or individuals who were kidnapped.
He said that organ sales yield large profits. A specialized mafia is engaged in these operations, in addition to medical institutions working in other countries. Without coordination among these parties, such a trade cannot be sustained, he said. According to the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), the organization sells bodies and organs of injured people they arrest [more].
Despite these early reports, the Iraqi ambassador to the United Nations only asked the Security Council to investigate these claims two days ago. According to an Associated Press report yesterday:
Ambassador Mohamed Alhakim told reporters that in the past few weeks, bodies with surgical incisions and missing kidneys or other body parts have been found in shallow mass graves.

"We have bodies. Come and examine them," he said. "It is clear they are missing certain parts."
He also said a dozen doctors have been "executed" in Mosul for refusing to participate in organ harvesting.

Alhakim briefed the council on the overall situation in Iraq and accused the Islamic State group of "crimes of genocide" in targeting certain ethnic groups.

The outgoing U.N. envoy to Iraq, Nikolay Mladenov, told the council that 790 people were killed in January alone by terrorism and armed conflict.

Mladenov noted the increasing number of reports and allegations that the Islamic State group is using organ harvesting as a financing method, but he said only that "it's very clear that the tactics ISIL is using expand by the day." He used an acronym for the group.
Today, CNN is reporting that the United Nations will now investigate these claims, nearly two and a half months after they were first reported in the media:
The United Nations is looking into claims that ISIS -- already considered the wealthiest terrorist group on record -- may be harvesting organs from slain civilians and gaining financial benefits by trafficking the body parts, officials said Wednesday. 

But Britain's ambassador to the U.N., Mark Lyall Grant, said the issue has not been officially discussed. Grant said there was no proof or evidence of the claim made by Iraq's ambassador to the United Nations.
Which is it then? Is there an investigation or not?

The same report from CNN goes on to quote the U.S. State Department regarding its knowledge of the harvesting of human organs for profit by the Islamic State:
The U.S. State Department said it was aware of the "deeply disturbing comments" about the alleged organ trafficking but wasn't able to confirm them.

"We also have no reason to doubt them given other similar atrocities that have been documented and other heinous crimes for which ISIL has proudly taken credit," the State Department said, using another acronym for the militant group.
So, we have no reason to doubt the claims and we have the Ambassor's testimony, yet the issue has not been officially discussed at the United Nations? Why? Is the U.N. serious about halting the advancing threat of the Islamic State? Is it acting too slowly?

2 comments:

  1. This is so very frustrating!
    What can we do besides pray and fast?
    As one american- what can I do?
    That video you posted has been nagging me- i don't want to sing anymore to cover up the whistle. But what are my options?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. We can write to elected representatives - repeatedly - and beg them to intervene.

      Delete