FIDH has reported that on October 9, 2024, Sabri Essid, also known as Abou Dojanah al-Faransi, was indicted by the Paris Criminal Court for genocide and crimes against humanity against the Ezidi population in Syria, committed by ISIS members, including French nationals. Bahzad Fahran of the NGO Kinyat emphasized that Read more
The risk of not acknowledging this fact is that some may try to exploit the suffering that Ezidis have endured. Certain actors in the Middle East, particularly those who refuse to accept the unique Ezidi ethnic and religious identity.
The Swedish national, named Lina Ishaq, is accused of having nine Ezidi children and women in her home in Raqqa, Syria between 2014 and 2016.
When IS attacked the Ezidis and when many were forced to seek refugee in the Sinjar mountains, some effort were made to support and assist them. According to Farhad, the distribution of assistance was perhaps not optimal but it was at least something, considering that they had just survived a genocidal attack(s). However, due to the war between Ukraine-Russia and the situation in Palestine-Israel, the Ezidi genocide and all issues related to the Ezidis have been forgotten. Farhad explains that “Our people continue to suffer, and the effects of the genocide are still ongoing”, yet the suffering of the Ezidis has been overshadowed by other global issues that are of bigger political interest for the global powers.
Hvorfor Ezidiernes identitet og anerkendelse skal justeres efter, hvad kurderne finder politisk passende for deres interesser. Dette viser faktisk, hvordan kurderne sigter mod en pan-kurdisk ideologi, hvor de forsøger at påstå alle minoriteter (både etniske og religiøse) for at have større territoriale krav mod Tyrkiet, Irak, Iran, Syrien og Armenien. Dette viser virkelig, hvordan den kurdiske identitet er kunstigt skabt og påvirket af kommunisme og nationalisme.
As an ancient ethno-religious minority, the Ezidis have faced persecution for centuries due to their faith. The self-proclaimed Islamic State of Iraq and Syria viewed Ezidis as heretical devil worshippers.
The Yezidis are an ethno-religious minority with the majority speaking Kurmanji, one of the main Kurdish dialects, according to researchers. Geographically, they are classified as a dispersed minority in demographic centres where population density is homogenous and concentrated. They are mainly located in contested areas across several residential clusters, notably in the Sinjar region (locally known as Shingal) and the Nineveh Plain, which falls administratively under the central government. This region includes the Shekhan district, along with numerous Yezidi villages and towns in the Tel Keppe district, as well as the cities of Ba’shiqa and Bahzani in Nineveh province. There are also smaller population clusters in the southern and western parts of Duhok province, which have been part of the Kurdistan region since 1991, including towns and cities such as Sharya, Khanke, Ba’adre, and Derabun.
Ezidi halkı, Türkiye, Suriye, İran ve Irak gibi bölgelerde yaşayan etnik ve dini bir azınlıktır. Ağustos 2014’te, bir terör örgütü olan IŞİD, Ezidilere karşı soykırım kampanyası başlattı ve onları “şeytanın hizmetkarları” olarak nitelendirdi. Bu vahşetler, kitlesel katliamları, kaçırmaları ve yaygın cinsel şiddeti içeriyordu ve özellikle kadınlar ve kız çocuklarını hedef aldı. Açık delillere rağmen, faillerin hesap vermesi için yapılan çabalar yetersiz kaldı. Bu hafta, 10.000’den fazla Ezidi’nin öldürüldüğü ve 7.000’den fazla kadın ve çocuğun kaçırıldığı, şiddete maruz kaldığı ve köleleştirildiği Ezidi soykırımının 10.
Езиды — это этническое и религиозное меньшинство, коренное для регионов, включая Турцию, Сирию, Иран и Ирак. В августе 2014 года террористическая организация ИГИЛ начала геноцидную кампанию против езидов, которых они называли “поклонниками дьявола”. Зверства включали массовые убийства, похищения и широкомасштабное сексуальное насилие, в основном направленное на женщин и девочек. Несмотря на очевидные доказательства, усилия по привлечению виновных к ответственности оказались недостаточными.
The third Iraqi women’s conference, held on 25 July in Baghdad and organized by the Iraqi Women’s Association and the Yazidi Women’s Freedom Movement (TAJÊ), focused on uniting against femicide and commemorating the victims of the 2014 Yazidi genocide. The conference included speeches highlighting the impact on women and children, the unknown fate of many captured by ISIS, and the need for women to organize against patriarchal violence.
This week marks the 10th anniversary of the Yazidi genocide. It has been ten years since over 10,000 Yazidis were brutally murdered. Ten years since more than 7,000 women and children were subjected to abduction, violence, and enslavement. Ten years since thousands have disappeared and over 2,600 are still missing without a trace. This article is republished on Ezidi Times with the kind permission of Jurist.org.
The relationship between Kurdish political parties and the Ezidi population in Iraq has become increasingly complicated, shaped by historical, political, and social tensions. The Kurdish political parties maintain a monolithic stance, rooted in the ethnic and political landscape of the region. This article analyzes the current situation of the Ezidi people in Read more
A new draft law proposed by Ezidi representatives in the Iraqi parliament aims to recognize Ezidis as a distinct nationality, alongside Arabs, Kurds, and Turkmen. The bill, introduced last week, seeks justice for the Ezidi people, which suffered severe atrocities under ISIS. The proposal has garnered significant support, with 182 Read more
On July 10, 2024, an Iraqi court sentenced Asma Mohamed, one of the wives of the Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, to death. The court found her guilty of crimes related to the detention and enslavement of Ezidi women, which occurred during the Islamic State’s (ISIS) campaign against the Read more
Stockholm – 25 January 2024 A Swedish National – previously sentenced for enlisting her son into ISIS – is now suspected for crimes against the Ezid people In a shocking development, a 51-year-old woman from Western Sweden is now facing serious allegations of war crimes, including genocide, committed in the Read more
German Court rejects the appeal of Jennifer W. – the woman who enslaved a Ezidi woman and her daughter. The sentence of 14 years of imprisonment remains. In a case that has stirred shock and condemnation, a German woman, Jennifer W., has faced the rejection of her appeal for a Read more
Recently the news about the ISIS leader “Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi” surfaced on the internet, after his wives and daughter gave an interview on Al-Arabiya. Al-Baghdadi has allegedly been killed in a US operation in northwestern Syria in 2019, however, during his time as an IS fighter, he has held more than 10 Ezidi children and women as slaves in his household. According to the narratives of the wives and his daughter; the Ezidi girls and women were treated “well”. This is a concerning statement which Ezidi Times finds crucial to address.
The plight of the Ezidis, who suffered horrific atrocities at the hands of the Islamic State (IS), underscores the critical importance of the United Nations Investigative Team to Promote Accountability for Crimes Committed by Daesh (UNITAD) in seeking justice where the Iraqi government has failed to act. UNITAD’s mission to Read more
Newroz, a time-honored tradition signifying “New Day,” holds profound cultural and historical significance for millions of individuals across the globe. Originating as the New Year’s Eve celebration for various Indo-Iranian communities, Newroz serves as a testament to the rich tapestry of human heritage and the enduring spirit of renewal. However, Read more
In a world marred by the atrocities of ISIS, the voices of Ezidi women echo with the weight of unmet justice. Targeted and brutalized by the extremist group, these women stand as living testaments to resilience amidst unspeakable horrors. In March 2021, the Iraqi parliament took a significant step forward Read more