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.
The Office of the Rescued Ezidi Prisoners has released the devastating statistics regarding the atrocities committed by ISIS against the Ezidi people on August 3, 2014. According to their report, over 5,000 Ezidis were killed, and 6,371 were abducted, with many still unaccounted for. These numbers only reflect those who have been identified; the fate of many more Ezidis remains unclear.
On March 3, 2025, 42 Ezidi families, displaced during the 2014 ISIS onslaught, returned to their homeland in Shengal after living for over a decade in Çem Mişko Camp in Duhok. The families, totaling 163 individuals, resettled in the Digur sub-district and the villages of Sêkêniye and Rembûsî. This marks another step in the ongoing process of repopulating Shengal, as many more families are expected to return in the coming days.
Ezidi, Armenian, Syriac, Chaldean, Arab, Kurdish, and Circassian women, must unite and stand together. Only through collective effort and inclusion can we build a free Syria where everyone’s rights are respected.
Around 800 Ezidi women and girls are currently being held in prisons under the control of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) in Syria, according to reports from human rights groups. These women were captured during ISIS’s 2014 assault on Ezidis and are now at risk of further abuse under HTS control. Read more…
The resolution specifically addressed the horrific events of August 3, 2014, when the IS launched a large-scale assault on Ezidi-populated areas. During this attack, the terrorist group killed over 5,000 Ezidi men and women, abducted approximately 7,000 people, and subjected countless others to sexual slavery and forced conversions. The fate of approximately 2,600 women and children remains unknown. The United Nations had already classified these atrocities as genocide in 2016, but the Swiss Parliament’s formal recognition represents a significant political and moral statement.
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.
A peaceful demonstration was held in Bonn on December 9-10, 2024, marking the 10th anniversary of silence after the Ezidi genocide. Organized by Ezidi activists, the event included cultural performances, religious hymns, and speeches advocating for justice and international action. A document calling for genocide prevention was sent to the UN. Solidarity actions also took place in Iraq, highlighting the ongoing struggle of the Ezidi people for justice and recognition.
In 2014, ISIS launched a brutal campaign against the Ezidis in Shingal (Sinjar), in northern Iraq. Thousands of Ezidi men, boys, and elderly women were killed, while women and girls were abducted, sold into sexual slavery, and subjected to systematic and organised abuse. Boys were forced to become child soldiers. Read more…
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”.
The U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, in partnership with Yazda, hosted the “Nobody’s Listening” Virtual Reality (VR) Exhibition this week to mark the 10th anniversary of the Yezidi genocide. This exhibition brings to light the horrific atrocities committed by ISIS against the Ezidi people and serves as both a tribute to Read more…
The Shingal Autonomous Administration in Iraq has announced the launch of a signature campaign to recognize the atrocities committed against the Ezidi people, particularly the events of August 3, 2014, as genocide. The campaign was unveiled on the 9th anniversary of the liberation of Shingal and aims to bring international Read more…
After public backlash regarding the decision to assign the guardianship of the Ezidi girl under state protection to an ISIS-family, has been reversed. The guardianship has now been revoked from the ISIS-family, and a lawyer will be appointed by the bar to assume guardianship duties.
The proposed legal change would legitimize child marriage, putting young girls at greater risk of abuse, forced marriage, and poor health outcomes. Although the acts committed by the ISIS-members since 2014 should not be classified as “forced marriage” or even include the word “marriage”, the Iraqi government will in fact classify the genocide acts committed towards the women as “marriage”.
Iraq’s international commitments, including the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) and …
A Ezidi woman, to protect her privacy we will refer to her as “A”, has been reunited with her family after spending nearly ten years in ISIS captivity. A was a child when she was captured during in 2014 the attacks on Shingal, Iraq, where she was taken across borders Read more…
Official Human Rights Complaint and Call for International Investigation into Technology and Social Media Companies’ Role in ISIS Crimes Against the Ezidis In 2023 a powerful and urgent human rights complaint was made for an international investigation into global technology and social media companies that are alleged to have aided Read more…