Kongra Star, the umbrella organization of women in North-East Syria, released a statement marking the 11th anniversary of the ISIS genocide against the Yazidi community in the city of Shengal (Sinjar) in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq.
The Kongra Star statement on Sunday includes the following:
“On the 11th anniversary of the Shengal genocide, as Kongra Star we respectfully honor the memory of all the martyrs who were killed by ISIS. To liberate the Yazidi people from the clutches of ISIS gangs, HPG and YJA-STAR fighters headed to Shengal. At the same time, to open a humanitarian corridor, YPG and YPJ fighters also moved toward Shengal. We commemorate with respect and love those fighters who fought against the ISIS occupation and were martyred in the liberation of Shengal.
To liberate the Yazidi people from the clutches of ISIS gangs, HPG and YJA-STAR fighters headed to Shengal. At the same time, to open a humanitarian corridor, YPG and YPJ fighters also moved toward Shengal. We commemorate with respect and love those fighters who fought against the ISIS occupation and were martyred in the liberation of Shengal.
We also pay tribute to our Yazidi people, who have resisted all forms of attacks over the past eleven years. Amid these assaults, we commend their self-administration system, founded upon the ideology and philosophy of Leader Abdullah Öcalan.
Over these eleven years, the developments experienced by our Yazidi people demonstrate the confidence they have built and reveal the strength of their organization. In particular, the organization of women in society, politics, diplomacy, and the military stands as a model of empowerment. Yazidi women organized themselves under the umbrella of TAJÊ and responded to the attacks of occupation, sectarianism, and discrimination against women with unified strength: women are the pioneers of a free future for Shengal. The Yazidi people have also organized themselves across all fields, and today, thanks to this organization, they protect the Yazidi identity.
The brutality of ISIS and the forces behind these gangs have been defeated. History once again shows that no power can prevail against the organized strength of the people. The Yazidi people now possess a profound collective memory and faith, a steadfastness that carries the legacy of Yazidi resistance.
During the massacres, thousands of Yazidi women fell into the hands of ISIS. We, Kongra Star, reaffirm that we will exert all our efforts to rescue the missing girls and women taken captive by ISIS.
We once again honor the Yazidi people, especially Yazidi women, and strongly condemn the genocide committed against them.”