13 Belgian nationals may have participated in the Yazidi genocide in Northern Iraq in 2014, according to comments made by outgoing Justice Minister Paul Van Tigchelt, Sudinfo reports on Friday.
The Federal Public Prosecutor's Office has 13 open cases concerning Belgian suspects who may be involved in the genocide perpetrated by the terrorist organisation Islamic State (ISIL),
In response to a question from an opposition MP, he also said that four cases were being investigated and the other nine under investigation.
"These are long and complex procedures, with numerous requests for international judicial assistance, which require investigators and magistrates to travel," explained the minister regarding the length of the procedure.
The section of the Federal Public Prosecutor's Office that deals with this type of case has five magistrates. This section also deals with offences committed by Belgian military personnel abroad and international corruption cases committed in the European Union, notes Sudinfo.
Yazidis are a member of a Kurdish religious minority found primarily in northern Iraq, southeastern Turkey, northern Syria, the Caucasus region, and parts of Iran. In August 2014, for two weeks, the Sinjar region of Iraq was invaded by ISIL. Militants undertook a strategised campaign to ethnically cleanse Yazidis from existence.
