Ten years commemoration of the genocide against Yezidi people in Iraq
Yezidis are a Kurdish-speaking endogamous religious group indigenous to Kurdistan, a geographical region in Western Asia that includes parts of Iraq, Syria, Turkey, and Iran.
Between 2014 and 2017, ISIS committed atrocities against the Yezidi community in Iraq amounting to war crimes and crimes against humanity, and, according to a UN inquiry, genocide. Ten years later, thousands of displaced survivors are still unable to safely return to their former homes in Iraq, and around 2800 women and children are still missing. In 2023, HRW criticised a poor implementation of the Yezidi Survivors Law which was issued by the Iraqi parliament in 2021 to ensure compensation and salaries for the victims from Yezidi,Turkmen, Shabaki and Christian communities.
How is the situation for Yezidis in Sinjar ten years after the genocide against Yezidi people committed by ISIS?
Meshall: Ten years after the genocide, the Yezidi community still suffers from displacement. More than 250,000 individuals are still living in IDP camps in the Kurdistan Region. In Shingal, Yezidi still lack basic services, including health services. Reconstruction of devastated houses and hospitals and paving the main streets are still needed. While some international organisations have enganged in reconstructing, the government is not doing anything.
In fact, many aspects of the Yezidi survivor law are yet to be implemented, such as the distribution of land to survivors, hiring them in the private sector, providing psychological support or paying a monthly salary for compensation. 95% of the returnees have not received the compensation for returnees, or reparations. The procedure is slow, and survivors have to file a criminal complaint to be eligible for reparation.
All Yezidis are still waiting for justice. Until today, more than 2500 individuals are still missing and many might still be in ISIS captivity, most of them in Al-Hol camp in Syria.
Remark elbarlament: The Al-Hol camp hosts still around 40.000 people from mainly ISIS affiliated families, among which some Yezidi are still hiding: either because they are too afraid to admit they are Yezidi as ISIS is still controlling parts of the camp, or because they don’t remember they are Yezidi as they were too young during their kidnapping. Some women are afraid to be separated from their children who were born out of sexual abuse by ISIS members, and therefore hide their origins.
How was your experience of working together with people from other ethnic and religious groups in Mosul Tells?
Meshall: The experience of getting to know people from different religions and ethnic backgrounds was an enriching experience. It allowed me to know more about habits and traditions that I was not familiar with about other ethnic groups in Ninewa. Mosul Tells acted as a bridge linking different from different regions, and collaborating on one goal: delivering a peace message to other communities.
Which impact can cultural projects like Mosul tells have in increasing social cohesion among the different groups?
Meshall: Projects such as Mosul Tells allow you to understand other people’s perspective, traditions and habits, hence strengthening social cohesion among communities. In addition to that, it allows us to exchange thoughts and create friends.