FYF holds candlelight vigil on 3 August in front of White House

Washington DC: To mark the 2nd anniversary of the genocide perpetrated by ISIS against the Yezidis in Sinjar and Nineveh Plains, Iraq, the Free Yezidi Foundation is calling for global attention to help displaced and traumatized survivors of the genocide. The genocide survivors face immense challenges and are trying to rebuild their lives in northern Iraq. To honor the memory of those killed in the genocide and the women still held in captivity, the vigil will take place in front of the White House on August 3rd 8:00 – 8:30pm. Activists will light candles to honor the 3,200 women and children still held in captivity in Iraq and speakers will address the needs Yazidis face now two years after the start of the genocide on August 3.
Survivors need humanitarian assistance, options to seek asylum abroad and justice for the crimes committed. Women and children are being held in Mosul and Raqqa; they should be protected during efforts to liberate those cities and provided with immediate medical and psychological assistance when freed. For a short video regarding the plight of Yezidi women, click here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pFB8825jbic (hit ‘cc’ for English subtitles).

• Pari Ibrahim Founder and Executive Director of the Free Yezidi Foundation
• Naomi Kikoler, Deputy Director of the Simon-Skjodt Center for the Prevention of Genocide, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
• With Women for Women International

Case studies with high res images available for print and online pieces

Pari Ibrahim – 202-674-5072, info@freeyezidi.org

Pari Ibrahim left the city of Duhok, in Iraq, with her family when she was three years old, fleeing the Saddam Hussein regime and settling in the Netherlands. She leads the efforts to raise funds for civilians in need and awareness of the plight of the Yezidis. After the ISIS attacks on Sinjar and the Yezidi population in August, Ms Ibrahim founded the Free Yezidi Foundation, beginning with only 300 Euro. On behalf of the Foundation, she has spoken at the United Nations, the British House of Lords, and a number of prominent universities, as well as to the BBC and the Dutch news show Brandpunt. After the first fact-finding missions to meet with survivors, Ms Ibrahim understood that the Foundation would be most effective by providing services and assistance in the IDP camps. Ms Ibrahim is in the process of completing her law degree. She speaks Kurdish (Kurmanji), Dutch, English, and German.