On eve of Sinjar massacre, Yezidis appeal to US to bring case to court
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region—On the eve of the second anniversary of the capture of Sinjar and the start of a genocide against the Yezidi people by the Islamic State, Yezidi activists are urging the United States to use its influence to bring the case to the International Criminal Court (ICC).
“The United States, as a permanent member of UN Security Council and as a member of ICC, has both a right and an obligation to seek an open, international investigation of ISIS atrocities and crimes, so that the Yazidi case gets legal recognition,” said Nadia Murad Basee Taha, a 23-year old survivor of the Islamic State in a press release issued jointly with Yezidi activist group Yazda.
Murad Ismael, the executive director of Yazda, lamented the tragic situation the Yezidi community is living in today. “[W]e have thousands of people, mostly women and girls who remain in captivity, more than a thousand child have been recruited by IS, more than 30 percent of Yazidi homeland remain under IS [ISIS] while liberated areas remain inhabitable due to insecurity and destruction.”
Murad and Yazda are both represented by human rights lawyer Amal Clooney in their efforts to make ISIS accountable for their crimes.
The genocide of the Yezidis has been widely recognized by the United Nations, the US government, the UK House of Commons, and the European Parliament.
“Genocide has occurred and is ongoing,” said Paulo Pinheiro, chair of a UN Commission of Inquiry that was charged with investigation violations committed by ISIS.
“ISIS has subjected every Yezidi woman, child or man that it has captured to the most horrific of atrocities,” the Commission reported in June.
The UN Commission noted that the challenge now is how to bring the perpetrators to justice; the stumbling block is jurisdiction.
The anniversary of the assault on Sinjar will be marked with events around the world.
In Shingal, a diverse program is planned, including music and theatrical performances to re-enact the events of two years ago. They will be broadcast live on TV and radio.
In Washington DC, a candlelight vigil will be held in front of the White House.
In Berlin, a march will be held from Alexanderplatz to the Brandenburg Gate.
“The United States, as a permanent member of UN Security Council and as a member of ICC, has both a right and an obligation to seek an open, international investigation of ISIS atrocities and crimes, so that the Yazidi case gets legal recognition,” said Nadia Murad Basee Taha, a 23-year old survivor of the Islamic State in a press release issued jointly with Yezidi activist group Yazda.
Murad Ismael, the executive director of Yazda, lamented the tragic situation the Yezidi community is living in today. “[W]e have thousands of people, mostly women and girls who remain in captivity, more than a thousand child have been recruited by IS, more than 30 percent of Yazidi homeland remain under IS [ISIS] while liberated areas remain inhabitable due to insecurity and destruction.”
Murad and Yazda are both represented by human rights lawyer Amal Clooney in their efforts to make ISIS accountable for their crimes.
The genocide of the Yezidis has been widely recognized by the United Nations, the US government, the UK House of Commons, and the European Parliament.
“Genocide has occurred and is ongoing,” said Paulo Pinheiro, chair of a UN Commission of Inquiry that was charged with investigation violations committed by ISIS.
“ISIS has subjected every Yezidi woman, child or man that it has captured to the most horrific of atrocities,” the Commission reported in June.
The UN Commission noted that the challenge now is how to bring the perpetrators to justice; the stumbling block is jurisdiction.
The anniversary of the assault on Sinjar will be marked with events around the world.
In Shingal, a diverse program is planned, including music and theatrical performances to re-enact the events of two years ago. They will be broadcast live on TV and radio.
In Washington DC, a candlelight vigil will be held in front of the White House.
In Berlin, a march will be held from Alexanderplatz to the Brandenburg Gate.