Petition demands recognition of ISIS genocide by German parliament

The most recent genocide in the history of the Yazidis began on August 3, 2014. On that day, the terrorist militia ISIS invaded Shengal to wipe out the Yazidi community. What followed was mass murder of men, abduction and enslavement of women and girls, forced recruitment of boys as child soldiers, the flight of countless people. At least 10,000 members of this ancient religion fell victim to ISIS massacres, according to estimates. More than 400,000 people were displaced from their homes. More than 7,000 women and children were abducted, and 2,800 women and children are still missing today. Therefore, this genocide in its form also represents a femicide.

The governments of some countries, most recently Belgium and the Netherlands, the United Nations (UN) and the European Parliament have already recognized the acts of ISIS as genocide. A petition by the Office for Yazidi Affairs (Stelle für Jesidische Angelegenheiten e.V.) now demands that the German parliament also follow suit and recognize the genocide as such. The petition can also be accessed on the website www.genozid2014.de, and the deadline for signatures is September 23.

The recognition of a genocide as a historical fact is an important step for its reappraisal, the punishment and sanctioning of perpetrators and the prevention of further crimes. In Germany, the genocide of the Yazidis has already been punished according to the principle of international law, and three ISIS terrorists have been convicted of crimes against humanity by German courts. This is an important step in the fight against impunity and a serious warning signal for perpetrators – but not enough.

Yazidi minority remains at risk

Even seven years after the last firman, as Yazidis call the genocide, their situation remains precarious. ISIS may have been defeated militarily, but the security situation in Shengal remains fragile. The region is a permanent focus of the Turkish state; just a few weeks ago, the NATO partner bombed a hospital in Shengal. In addition to four members of the Yazidi Resistance Units (YBŞ), which formed in self-defense in response to the genocide, four health workers at the clinic were killed. A day earlier, YBŞ commander Seîd Hesen and his nephew were killed in a Turkish drone strike in Shengal. However, the Iraqi central government in Baghdad is indifferent; for them, the Yazidi minority is not a priority. Reconstruction in Shengal has also barely begun. Only a few displaced Yazidis have returned to their settlement areas, after living in the large refugee camps around the city of Duhok. The humanitarian situation there is disastrous.