Strasbourg, France, Feb 4, 2016 / 19:24 pm
The European Parliament on Thursday declared that genocide is taking place in the Middle East against Christians, Yazidis, and other ethnic and religious minorities, at the hands of the Islamic State.
A resolution adopted by the parliament states that "so-called 'ISIS/Da'esh' commits genocide against Christians and Yazidis, and other religious and ethnic minorities."
The vote followed last week's genocide resolution passed by the Parliamentary Assembly Council of Europe. That council is a leading human rights body and long-time partner with the European Union on human rights concerns.
A genocide declaration is significant because it calls for members of the United Nations Security Council to refer the matter to the International Criminal Court, which would officially investigate to see if genocide is taking place.