Security Council Press Statement on Murdering of Fan Jinghui, Ole Johan Grimsgaard-Ofstad
The following Security Council press statement was issued today by Council President Matthew Rycroft (United Kingdom):
The members of the Security Council condemned in the strongest terms the heinous and cowardly act of the murdering of a Chinese citizen, Fan Jinghui, and a Norwegian citizen, Ole Johan Grimsgaard-Ofstad, by the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant/Sham (ISIL/ISIS). These crimes once again demonstrate the brutality of ISIL, which is responsible for thousands of crimes and abuses against people from all faiths, ethnicities and nationalities, and without regard to any basic value of humanity.
The members of the Security Council underlined the need to bring perpetrators of these reprehensible acts of terrorism to justice. The members of the Security Council stressed that those responsible for the killing of Fan Jinghui and Ole Johan Grimsgaard-Ofstad all be held accountable and urged all States, in accordance with their obligations under international law and relevant Security Council resolutions, to cooperate actively with China, Norway and all other relevant authorities in this regard.
The members of the Security Council expressed their deep sympathy and condolences to the families of the victims, to the Governments of China and Norway, as well as to the families of all victims of ISIL.
The members of the Security Council stressed again that ISIL must be defeated and that the intolerance, violence and hatred it espouses must be stamped out. The members of the Council further emphasized that such continued acts of barbarism perpetrated by ISIL do not intimidate them, but rather stiffen their resolve that there has to be a common effort amongst Governments and institutions, including those in the region most affected, to counter ISIL, Al-Nusra Front and all other individuals, groups, undertakings and entities associated with Al-Qaida, as the Council resolved in United Nations Security Council resolution 2170 (2014).
The members of the Security Council further recalled that ISIL is included on the Al-Qaida Sanctions List and is thus subject to the asset freeze and arms embargo in resolution 2161 (2014) and further recalls that any individual or entity that provides financial or material support to the group, including the provision of arms or recruits, is eligible to be added to the Al-Qaida Sanctions List and subject to sanctions measures.
The members of the Security Council reaffirmed the need to combat by all means, in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations, threats to international peace and security caused by terrorist acts, and that any acts of terrorism are criminal and unjustifiable, regardless of their motivation, wherever, whenever and by whomsoever committed. The members of the Security Council reminded States that they must ensure that measures taken to combat terrorism comply with all their obligations under international law, in particular international human rights, refugee and humanitarian law.