The Australian Christian Lobby has renewed calls for the Australian Government to prioritise a parliamentary vote recognising the persecution of Christians and other religious minorities by followers of the so-called Islamic State as ‘genocide’.
A bi-partisan motion was moved in Federal Parliament in late November but has not yet been brought to a vote.
ACL Managing Director Lyle Sheton said that with the ongoing persecution being seen in the Middle East, the ‘stop the genocide’ motion should be fast-tracked.
He said that while the Australian Government “is to be congratulated for the recent resettlement of 12,000 Syrian refugees” who were given priority because of the persecution they face at the hands of IS, “the next step is to recognise that what has occurred is genocide and to bring the perpetrators to justice”.
“Having the Australian Parliament join countries such as the UK and the US in supporting a genocide recognition motion will assist the United Nations and ultimately the International Criminal Court pursue justice for those who have suffered,” Mr Shelton said. “The decision to bring the genocide recognition motion to a vote is in the hands of the Turnbull Government and we encourage a speedily resolution given its bi-partisan support.”
To date, more than 20,000 people have signed an ACL ‘Stop the Genocide’ petition backing the motion which was moved by Labor MP Chris Hayes and seconded by Coalition MP Kevin Andrews.
