A new UK parliamentary report warns that Iraq’s religious minorities, including the Ezidi people and Christians, continue to face insecurity, displacement, and economic hardship despite the defeat of ISIS. The report calls for urgent action to protect minorities, support returns, and ensure accountability for genocide crimes.
Montenegro’s Constitutional Court has halted the expulsion of an Ezidi asylum seeker, ruling that authorities failed to properly assess the risk of persecution and torture linked to his identity.
An Iraqi court has sentenced an ISIS member to death for crimes committed during the 2014 genocide in Şengal, including the killing of Ezidi men and the abduction of Ezidi women.
A French court has officially recognised the genocide against the Ezidi people for the first time, sentencing a French jihadist to life imprisonment. The historic ruling is grounded in survivor testimonies that exposed systematic violence, enslavement, and the targeted destruction of Ezidis, marking a significant step toward justice and accountability in Europe.
Five years after Iraq adopted the Survivors Law recognizing the Isis genocide against the Ezidi people, organizations say the legislation remains a significant step but is still only partially implemented. NGO groups warn that without stronger implementation and accountability for ISIS crimes, many survivors will remain without the full reparations they were promised.
The appeal case of Hasna A. has become a critical test of whether European courts are prepared to fully acknowledge and prosecute crimes committed under ISIS rule. For Ezidi survivors, the hearings were not an abstract legal exercise but a painful confrontation with lived trauma. The recognition of enslavement in a European courtroom carries profound meaning, affirming that crimes committed against the Ezidi people are neither forgotten nor beyond accountability.
The Hasna A. case returns to court in the Netherlands after the defendant appealed the first verdict.From 9–12 February 2026, judges at the Schiphol Judicial Complex will review the case, which addresses ISIS crimes committed against Ezidis.
The hearings are public and will be livestreamed, with translation available.
On 9 December, the world marks the International Day for the Victims of Genocide — established in 2015 on Armenia’s initiative. For Ezidis, this day is a reminder that the 2014 genocide is not history. Nearly 200,000 Ezidis remain displaced, more than 2,500 are still missing, and mass graves in Sinjar await proper identification. remembrance must lead to justice, accountability, and real prevention.
Belgium has issued its first conviction for the 2014 genocide against Ezidis, with the Brussels Assize Court finding Islamic State fighter Sammy Djedou guilty of genocide and crimes against humanity. The ruling marks Belgium’s entry among European countries prosecuting those responsible for the atrocities committed against Ezidis.
Belgian ISIS member Sammy Djedou is being tried in absentia in Brussels for genocide and crimes against humanity against Ezidi women. Prosecutors accuse him of enslaving, torturing, and raping three Ezidi women during ISIS’s 2014 attack on Shengal (Sinjar) in Iraq — crimes described as part of the group’s campaign to annihilate the Ezidis.
Belgium is set to hold its first-ever trial for genocide against the Ezidi people, as IS fighter Sammy Djedou faces charges in absentia for murder, rape, and sexual enslavement. For the survivors who will testify, the courtroom is more than a legal stage — it is a rare space to confront the violence that shattered their lives and to assert that the world cannot forget the genocide against the Ezidis.
Armenia has made progress in supporting minority languages, including Ezidi, but challenges remain in education and protection. Expanded school programs and radio initiatives help, yet teacher shortages and limited offerings threaten language survival. Upcoming legislation offers a key opportunity to safeguard the Ezidi language and culture.
Trial Against Couple Accused of Enslaving and Abusing Ezidi Children Under IS to Begin Tomorrow in Munich (München), Germany, for keeping two Ezidi girls aged five and twelve under the rule of the so-called Islamic State (IS). The crimes took place between 2015 and 2017 in Iraq and Syria. The charges include genocide, reflecting IS’s targeted campaign against the ancient Ezidi people, who follow the Sharfadin religion.
Murad Ismael, a prominent Ezidi activist and co-founder of the Sinjar Academy, is facing an arrest warrant issued by a court in the northern Iraqi province of Nineveh. The warrant follows his outspoken criticism of Iraq’s Minister of Migration, Evan Faeq Jabro, and the Ministry’s handling of the ongoing crisis faced by Ezidi internally displaced persons (IDPs).
A proposal has been introduced in the Italian Parliament calling for the recognition of the genocide committed against the Ezidi people by ISIS in 2014. The move comes after years of international debate and growing calls for justice for the Ezidis, who endured unspeakable atrocities at the hands of ISIS during their brutal assault on Shengal (Sinjar), Iraq.
Some so-called academics spread false information about Ezidis, repeating extremist ideas. Ezidi Times encourages readers to stay alert and help stop the spread of these harmful myths.
The prosecutor has appealed the Stockholm District Court’s verdict against Lina Ishaq, who was convicted of genocide, crimes against humanity,...
A 39-year-old Syrian man is accused of having fought for the so-called Islamic State (IS) in his home country before fleeing to Europe. He is also suspected of having held Ezidi prisoners in his business. The defendant pleaded not guilty, and his lawyer, Michael Drexler, argued that the wrong person had been charged. The man arrived in Austria in 2019 and was granted asylum in 2020. According to his lawyer, authorities had thoroughly examined his background and found no evidence linking him to IS.
The Stockholm District Court has sentenced Lina Ishaq to 12 years in prison for genocide, crimes against humanity, and severe war crimes committed against Ezidi women and children in Raqqa, Syria, during 2014 and 2015. The case is part of broader international efforts to hold members of the Islamic State (IS) accountable for their systematic persecution of the Ezidi minority.
Iraq’s ongoing crackdown on alcohol sales, which began in 2023 after years of sporadic enforcement, has led to the closure of numerous private clubs and venues, particularly those owned by Iraq’s Ezidis and Christians. However, critics contend that the ban has only fueled black markets and increased violence, without addressing the root causes of crime.
