FYF Statement to Mark 11 Year Commemoration of the Yezidi Genocide

Yezidis around the world are holding sorrowful 11 year commemorations to remember the genocide perpetrated by ISIS beginning on 3 August 2014. We reflect on the Yezidi civilians who were massacred in cold blood and those who were abducted and remain missing. Our community does not feel respected as an indigenous community of Iraq and the Middle East, and the basic needs and rights that our people – or any people – require and deserve have not been met. Below is a comprehensive report issued one year ago outlining topics that need to be addressed in order for Yezidis to live safely and with dignity in Iraq. 

Sadly, government bodies have failed in their responsibility to protect our rights and aid in our recovery. However, in the last few years, we Yezidis have been able to raise these concerns at the highest levels around the world. It seems that powerful stakeholders believe that Yezidis will eventually tire of advocating for a better future for our community. But they should understand that we will never, ever give up in the fight for our rights and for justice.

Please see the link to our ten-year commemoration report here: Ten Years After Genocide The Yezidi Struggle to Recover and Overcome