Ten years of the Yazidi genocide – IBAHRI raises concerns around international abandonment
With 3 August 2024 marking the tenth anniversary of the Yazidi genocide, the International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute (IBAHRI) is concerned about plans for the international community to abandon the Yazidis in Iraq. In a situation where no justice has been served for the atrocities perpetrated against them by Daesh (also known as Islamic State, ISIL, ISIS or IS), leaving the community is premature and potentially exposes the Yazidis to further harm and a repetition of atrocities previously committed including mass killing, rape and sexual violence, abductions, enslavement and enforced disappearance.
The IBAHRI states that to this day, more than 2,600 Yazidi women and children continue to be enslaved and that there have been limited efforts to rescue them, despite their locations often being known. As such, the genocide against the Yazidis is considered as ongoing: the community’s persecution and suffering continues.
In September 2024, the Investigative Team to Promote Accountability for Crimes Committed by Da'esh/ISIL (UNITAD) – the mechanism established to collect and preserve evidence of the Daesh atrocities - is to close. There is no indication whether the evidence collected so far will be used, or how, nor is there sign of whether anyone will take over this important work, which includes the exhumation of mass graves.
In December 2024, according to Iraq’s federal government, the camps for the internally displaced people (IDP) of the Yazidi community and other religious or belief minorities are to close with members being pressured to return to the province of Sinjar – where the attacks on the communities began – without assurances of comprehensive assistance and security or guarantees of non-repetition of crimes committed against them.
In 2025, the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) is to close at the request of Iraq’s authorities. The role of the UNAMI has been to assist the Government of Iraq in promoting accountability for human rights violations and protecting human rights in Iraq to build and strengthen trust among the Government, justice institutions, civil society and marginalised communities.
The planned closure of the IDP camps and the termination of UNITAD and UNAMI are to proceed on an assumption that the situation has improved to the point that external assistance is not needed.
In July 2024, the IBAHRI joined three major Yazidi-led organisations – the Free Yezidi Foundation, Yazda and the Sinjar Academy – and the Coalition for Genocide Response in a joint submission for the UN Human Rights Council Universal Periodic Review – Iraq, raising concerns and making several recommendations. These recommendations include:
- to ensure that Iraq halts trials for terror-related offences which do not follow due process;
- to ensure that the Iraqi criminal law is amended, in consultation with survivors, Iraqi civil society organisations and legal experts, to criminalise genocide and other international crimes;
- to ensure that the atrocities against the Yazidis are investigated and the culprits are prosecuted for genocide and other international crimes;
- to ensure that the law includes clear protections and assistance for victims/survivors and witnesses of atrocity crimes; and
- to ensure that Iraq works with the international community to establish a specialised ad hoc tribunal to prosecute Daesh crimes.
Also, in July 2024, the IBAHRI, together with the British Group Inter-Parliamentary Union and the Coalition for Genocide Response, hosted two sessions in the United Kingdom’s Houses of Parliament to mark the anniversary and engage parliamentarians on the issue of justice and accountability for the Yazidi community. The sessions featured the work of the Free Yezidi Foundation and Yazda, in addition to contributions from several parliamentarians, including IBAHRI Director and Labour Peer in the House of Lords, Lady Kennedy of The Shaws LT KC; Brendan O’Hara MP; Baroness Fiona Hodgson; and the Lord Bishop of Winchester.
Pari Ibrahim, founder and Executive Director of the Free Yezidi Foundation, stated: ‘As we mark the 10th anniversary of the Yazidi genocide, we honour the resilience and strength of our community. Yet, the scars of this atrocity remain, and our people continue to face immense challenges. It is imperative that we focus on long-term support, justice, and opportunities for Yazidis. Building a better future requires continued attention and investment from the international community, as well as sustained pressure on the Iraqi and Kurdish governments to do more to protect this vulnerable minority. We need comprehensive strategies that include mental health support, education, economic opportunities, adequate shelter, and legal justice for survivors. By committing to these efforts, we can foster a future of hope, dignity, and equality for the Yazidi community.’
Natia Navrouzov, Executive Director of Yazda, said: ‘Ten years after the genocide, all the issues faced by the Yazidis and other groups targeted by Daesh remain unresolved. We urgently need to see concrete actions from both Iraq and the Kurdistan Regional Government that prioritize the interests of the Yazidi community. Additionally, it is crucial for the international community to stay engaged in our cause. The upcoming Universal Periodic Review (UPR) early next year will provide a timely opportunity to evaluate the progress made for Yazidis and other minorities over the past decade.’
Anne Ramberg Dr Jur hc, IBAHRI Co-Chair and the Immediate Past Secretary General of the Swedish Bar Association, stated: ‘In keeping a dialogue with Parliamentarians, we hope to draw attention to the testimony of Yazidi representatives on the hardships their community continues to face. It remains imperative that action is taken. The UK must do all it can to work to improve the worsening situation of the Yazidis, thinking always about the impact on the ground. As we heard at the sessions in Parliament, many remain living in camps with limited resources and opportunities. When the Yazidis are denied their voice at the national level, the international community must do all we can to hear and amplify them.’
Mark Stephens CBE, IBAHRI Co-Chair, commented: ‘I reiterate the IBAHRI’s call for justice, accountability and support for the Yazidis following the devastating attack in August 2014 and atrocities that continue to this day. On the 10th anniversary of the Sinjar attack, the lack of action to ensure justice and accountability remains concerning. With the imminent closure of the IDP camps, Yazidis face insecurity in returning and resettling in Sinjar, and the community continues to suffer from the intergenerational effects of the genocide.’
Over the subsequent weeks and months, the IBAHRI will continue to draw attention to the situation of the Yazidis and seek more proactive approaches to help the community, including by providing secretariat to the All-Party Parliamentary Group on the Yazidis (which is to be reconstituted in September 2024) among other initiatives.
Dr Ewelina Ochab, IBAHRI senior programme lawyer and lead on atrocity crimes, explained: ‘The IBAHRI has been working with the Yazidi community to ensure that their voices are amplified and heard by the UK Parliament and by the UK Government, and beyond. Their voices are key to any meaningful and lasting changes that will ensure the future of the community. There should be no decisions about them without them. Unfortunately, too often the community is excluded from decisions that define their future. Most recently, this happened when Iraq asked for UNITAD to be closed. The Yazidi community, the community most affected by the crimes of Daesh, was not consulted on the issue. Similarly, the concerns of the Yazidi community are not being heard as Iraq proceeds to close the IDP camps, forcing the community to return to Sinjar and the uncertainty it brings. This must change.’
ENDS
Contact: IBAHRI@int-bar.org
Notes to the Editor
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Background:
The Yazidi genocide refers to the atrocities perpetrated by Daesh (also known as Islamic State, ISIL, ISIS and IS) against the Yazidis, and other religious or belief minorities. Daesh attacked the Yazidi people in the Sinjar region in Iraq leading to mass killing, rape and sexual violence, abductions, enslavement, enforced disappearance and other atrocities. This attack on the Yazidi population a decade ago has been classified as genocide in January 2016 by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE). This was followed by a similar recognition by the European Parliament in February 2016. In March 2016, the US Department of State recognised the atrocities as genocide.
In April 2016, the House of Commons of the United Kingdom Parliament unanimously recognised the atrocities against the Yazidis and other religious minorities as genocide. Similarly, over a dozen parliaments have made this determination, in addition to the governments of Canada and the Netherlands. In August 2023, the UK government formally recognised the atrocities against the Yazidis as genocide, following the findings of genocide by German criminal courts.
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The International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute (IBAHRI), established in 1995 under Founding Honorary President Nelson Mandela, is an autonomous entity working to promote, protect and enforce human rights under a just rule of law, and to preserve the independence of the judiciary and the legal profession worldwide.
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The International Bar Association (IBA), the global voice of the legal profession, is the foremost organisation for international legal practitioners, bar associations and law societies. Established in 1947, shortly after the creation of the United Nations, with the aim of protecting and promoting the rule of law globally, the IBA was born out of the conviction that an organisation made up of the world's bar associations could contribute to global stability and peace through the administration of justice.
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