Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov accused Islamic State of committing genocide in Iraq, by targeting Christians in the region.
Speaking at the sidelines of the United Nations Human Rights Council session, currently underway in Geneva, Mr Lavrov said,
“There are awful crimes, Christians are killed, they are burned alive, 21 Egyptian Copts have been beheaded in Libya, all these are signs of genocide following the definition of the UN.”
“Twenty years ago, in Iraq, there were one million Christians, in 2014, there were 400,000 and today, 200,000,” added Mr Lavrov, addressing the side session on the protection of Christians.
“Cases of violence have strongly increased, as have reported cases of collective rapes as punishment,” he added. “It is time to take action.”