The Rojava Yazidi Women’s Union (YJÊR) issued a written statement regarding policies directed at the people of Shengal and attempts to eliminate the Yazidis’ Autonomous Administration project and their resistance in Shengal.
YJÊR stated that they are following with great concern the dangerous developments facing Shengal, in light of the systematic policies carried out against Yazidi women and men.
“Shengal must not once again become a victim of political plans”
The statement recalled that in 2014 Shengal was subjected to ISIS attacks, during which mass massacres were committed, women were enslaved, and children were abducted. It emphasized that Shengal must not once again become a victim of political and security plans that ignore the will of the people, their right to self-governance, and their legitimate right to self-defense.
The statement said that the recent military mobilization by the Iraqi army and initiatives aimed at disarming the Yazidis pose a direct threat to the region’s security and stability. It warned that this could pave the way for renewed chaos and for the community to be targeted once again.
“The self-defense force is a means of protection against genocide”
The statement stressed that the Yazidis have never used weapons as a tool of occupation; rather, after a period in which everyone abandoned them in their darkest hour, weapons became a means of protecting the people against the threats of genocide.
YJÊR asserted that these policies target Shengal and its surroundings within the framework of the Turkish state’s occupation plans, aiming to weaken the Yazidi will and dismantle their model of organization. “These initiatives serve expansionist agendas that threaten the security and stability of the entire region. Any intervention against the self-defense force in Shengal directly serves the danger of ISIS gangs re-emerging,” the statement said.
List of demands
In its statement, YJÊR put forward the following demands:
-Rejection of the forms of political exclusion that Yazidis face in Iraq, and full recognition of their right to representation within state institutions and decision-making mechanisms;
-Rejection of any attempt to disarm the Yazidis before recognizing the autonomous administration determined by the will of the Shengal people and establishing an internationally legitimate protection mechanism;
-Acknowledgment that the Iraqi government is responsible for protecting the Yazidis and for preventing a recurrence of the 2014 tragedy;
-A call on the international community and human rights organizations to assume responsibility regarding developments in Shengal and to prevent a new catastrophe.
The statement also recalled that Yazidi women paid the heaviest price in 2014 and declared that the recreation of the tragedy through new political or military methods would not be accepted. It emphasized that Shengal’s security and stability depend on respecting the will of the people and their right to self-protection.
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