The Center Genocide in Kosovo – An Open Wound has strongly criticized the Basic Court of Pristina for convicting former ISIS fighter Murat Dërnjanin of crimes against humanity, rather than genocide, despite clear international findings that ISIS committed genocide against the Ezidi people in Iraq. On July 4, 2025, the Basic Court of Read more
Ezidis can learn the vital importance of preserving their sacred faith of Sharfadin. Justice and recognition require courage and unity—not just from within the Ezidi people but also through building solidarity with other ancient peoples facing similar struggles. Though the wounds run deep, hope remains in the power of cultural survival and the determination to secure a future where the Ezidis’ dignity, heritage, and rights are fully respected and protected.
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).
In 2007, Hales fled to Germany with her mother and sister—a country she eventually came to not only appreciate but, one might say, love, for both its freedoms and its values. As a Ezidi, an ethnoreligious group that has faced centuries of persecution, the concept of freedom holds great significance for Hales. She came to deeply understand the value of freedom through the atrocities committed by Islamist groups. The most recent of over 70 Ezidi genocides occurred on August 3, 2014, with thousands of women still held captive by ISIS. “We have lived in captivity long enough; now it is time to stand up for our freedom and our rights,” says Hales.
Malala shared her admiration for Mediha’s courage and her desire to bring attention to the plight of Ezidi women and girls. Mediha, who has looked up to Malala as a source of inspiration, expressed her hope that her film would serve as a platform for the voices of Ezidi survivors. “I want to make something for my people”.