The Co-Presidency of the KCK Executive Council released a statement marking the 11th anniversary of the ISIS onslaught on the Yazidi town of Shengal in 2014.
The KCK statement on Saturday includes the following:
“Eleven years have passed since the ISIS Massacre of Şengal [Sinjar] on August 3, 2014, which the Êzidî (Yazidi) people refer to as the ‘74th Ferman’ (Genocide). Despite the passage of eleven years, the pain of this massacre is still present, and the wounds have not yet healed. For what was inflicted upon the Êzidî people in Şengal on August 3, 2014, was heart-wrenching, shameful, and unimaginable. Thousands of people were killed, thousands of women were abducted, sold as slaves, and raped, homes were looted, and hundreds of people, children, and the elderly who fled the massacre and ended up in the desert died of hunger and thirst. Thousands of Êzidî women are still missing. Dozens of mass graves have not been opened yet. What the Êzidî people have endured in the 21st century, which prides itself on its own progress, is a disgrace to humanity in every sense. Once again, we strongly condemn the Şengal Massacre, one of the most brutal massacres in human history, as well as ISIS, its mentality, and all the forces behind ISIS. We respectfully commemorate those who lost their lives in the Şengal Massacre. We once again declare that we deeply feel the pain of the people of Şengal and that we will always stand by them on their path to overcoming the Ferman and achieving freedom.
The KDP peshmerga and the Iraqi army, which have a large military force at their disposal and whose duty it was to ensure the security of Şengal, did not defend Şengal and left the people to face the massacre. The people of Şengal, left to their fate, were defenseless against the murderous gangs of ISIS. It caused the most tragic and painful outcome. Despite causing so much pain, no self-criticism has been made and no accountability has been sought for this. It should be known that the indelible pages of history have recorded this shame, as they have the brutality of ISIS. Both ISIS and those who instigated ISIS to attack Şengal aimed to continue the massacre until there was not a single Êzidî left and to erase the Êzidî people from history. This goal was prevented thanks to the historic intervention of a small guerrilla group in the Şengal mountains and the great determination and resilience of the Şengal people, their youth, and their women. The total genocide was prevented thanks to the resistance of the guerrillas and the Şengal people. Hundreds of Êzidî children joined the resistance line formed against ISIS alongside the guerrillas and fell as martyrs. We remember the guerrillas who fell as martyrs and the Êzidî youths who fell as martyrs with great respect, and we bow our heads in respect before their memories. This honorable stance and line of struggle not only prevented a great genocide but also laid the foundation for the people of Şengal to exist today with their own language, faith, culture, and identity and to defend themselves so that they never experience another Ferman.
The struggle of the people of Şengal to prevent similar massacres from happening again is extremely justified and legitimate. Not standing by the people of Şengal in their cause of self-defense and self-administration, let alone standing against them, is unacceptable. The fact that the Êzidî people, who have suffered many Fermans throughout history because of their beliefs and identity, now have self-administration and self-defense is neither a maximalist demand nor a violation of anyone’s rights. These are entirely minimal and legitimate demands. There is no legitimate, legal, or social basis for opposing the demands of the people of Şengal. On the contrary, international law, legislation, and fundamental human rights, as well as universal human values, social ethics, and conscience, require that we stand by them. From the perspective of the Iraqi state, the most appropriate solution is to resolve the Şengal issue on the basis of ensuring the self-governance and self-defense of the people. Indeed, such a solution is also required by the Iraqi constitution.
As we commemorate the August 3 Massacre once again, we congratulate the people of Şengal, who managed to preserve their existence by resisting one of the most brutal and severe attacks in history. History has not only recorded the August 3 massacre but also the great resistance and heroism that began on August 3. The children, women, and youth of the Şengal people have written a new history by resisting one of the most brutal attacks in history. We believe that our Êzidî people will gain their freedom with the current ‘Peace and Democratic Society Process.’”