The Central Council of the Yazidis honors the German parliamentarian for genocide recognition
The IS had captured the Sinjar Mountains in northern Iraq in 2014, where non-Muslim Yazidis have lived for centuries. There and also in Syria, Islamists enslaved women and girls, recruited boys as child soldiers, and killed thousands of men. It is estimated that around 5,000 Yazidis were murdered, and the fate of about 3,000 missing persons remains unknown.
In January 2023, the Bundestag recognized the atrocities against the Yazidis as genocide, which will be commemorated on this Saturday. The official recognition of the genocide by parliaments is important to ensure "that such crimes never happen again," explained the Central Council of Yazidis.
The organization also called for support for the victims and the rebuilding of Yazidi life in the Sinjar Mountains. "Ten years after the genocide, many survivors are still searching for security and a place to live."
"We do not forget what was done to the Yazidi women and men ten years ago," said German Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) on the short messaging service X. "Germany supports the rebuilding efforts."
The Central Council of Yazidis, in supporting the recognition of the genocide, emphasized the importance of the FDP in ensuring that such atrocities never occur again. Following the genocide, many Yazidi survivors continue to seek security and a place to call home, with Germany providing ongoing support for their rebuilding efforts.
