ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The UK on Tuesday ‘formally acknowledged’ that "acts of genocide" were committed against the Yazidis at the hand of the Islamic State (ISIS) in 2014, days ahead of the ninth anniversary of the atrocities committed against them.
“The UK has today formally acknowledged that acts of genocide were committed against the Yazidi people by Daesh [ISIS] in 2014,” the government said in a statement published on its official website, adding that the decision follows a ruling by the German Federal Court of Justice to find a member of ISIS guilty for acts of genocide.
The UK government has condemned ISIS atrocities committed against the Yazidis, but has stopped short of recognizing the crimes as genocide. The UK has a long-standing policy that the decision lies with higher criminal courts, rather than with the government.
“Today we have made the historic acknowledgement that acts of genocide were committed against the Yazidi people,” UK Minister of State for the Middle East Lord Tariq Ahmad said.
“The Yazidi population suffered immensely at the hands of Daesh [ISIS] nine years ago and the repercussions are still felt to this day. Justice and accountability are key for those whose lives have been devastated,” he added, using the Arabic acronym for ISIS.
On Wednesday, Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani welcomed the move by the UK.
I commend UK government’s formal acknowledgement that acts of genocide were committed against our Yezidi community by ISIS terrorists. As we approach the 9th anniversary of the 2014 genocide, we honor and remember Yezidi victims and all those who suffered at the hands of the…
— Nechirvan Barzani (@IKRPresident) August 2, 2023
In 2016, MPs in the House of Commons unanimously voted to label the treatment of the Yazidis by ISIS as genocide and to refer the issue to the United Nations Security Council. However, the UK Foreign Office directed ministers to abstain, on the basis that it is not up to the government to make such judgments.
“The UK officially acknowledges five instances where genocide has occurred: the Holocaust, Rwanda, Srebrenica and acts of genocide in Cambodia and against the Yazidi people,” the statement added.
The International Criminal Court (ICC) has jurisdiction over cases related to genocide and crimes against humanity. However, Iraq and Syria are not subject to the ruling of the ICC, making it difficult for convicted ISIS members to be tried for genocide. Some European states have suggested the establishment of an international tribunal dedicated to ISIS-related cases but progress is yet to be made.
Lord Ahmad visited the Kurdistan Region earlier this year where we emphasized the UK’s commitment to ensuring the implementation of the Yazidi Survivors Law, as well as providing support to the Yazidis.
More than 6,000 Yazidis were kidnapped when ISIS attacked their heartland of Shingal in Nineveh province, according to the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Office for Rescuing Kidnapped Yazidis. Over 2,000 remain missing.
According to the office, over 120,000 Yazidis have left Iraq since ISIS waged their devastating campaign on the community, and tens of thousands of those who remain in the region live in camps.
