Human rights in Islamic State-controlled territory

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History of the Islamic State
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The condition of human rights in the territory controlled by the Islamic State (IS) is considered to be among the worst in the world.^[1][2][3][4] The Islamic State's policies included acts of genocide,^[5][6][7] torture^[8][9] and slavery.^[10][11] The United Nations Commission on Human Rights (UNCHR) stated in November 2014 that the Islamic State "seeks to subjugate civilians under its control and dominate every aspect of their lives through terror, indoctrination, and the provision of services to those who obey". Many Islamic State actions of extreme criminality, terror, recruitment and other activities have been documented in the Middle East.^[12]

The territories in Iraq and Syria, which was occupied by the Islamic State and claimed as part of its self-dubbed "Caliphate"^[13] saw the creation of one of the most criminally active, corrupt and violent regimes in modern times, and it ruled that territory until its defeat.^[14] IS murdered tens of thousands of civilians,^[15] kidnapped several thousand people, and forced hundreds of thousands of others to flee. It systematically committed torture, mass rapes, forced marriages,^[16] extreme acts of ethnic cleansing, mass murder, genocide, robbery, extortion, smuggling, slavery, kidnappings, and the use of child soldiers; in its implementation of strict interpretations of Sharia law which were based on ancient eighth-century methods, they carried out public "punishments"^[17] such as beheadings, crucifixions, beatings, mutilation and dismemberment, the stoning of both children and adults, and the live burning of people. IS members committed rape against tens of thousands of girls and women (mainly members of non-Sunni minority groups and families).

Several human rights organizations and peace organizations, including Human Rights Watch, the United Nations and Amnesty International, have deemed IS guilty of crimes against humanity, and they have also accused the whole IS organization of being a criminal organization, one which has committed some of the most severe war crimes since World War II.^[18][19]