"Those Responsible for the Yazidi Genocide Should be Brought to Justice"

Kurdistan 12:03 AM - 2024-08-04

Yazidi survivors leaving their homes to save themselves.

Despite the passage of a decade, the Sinjar crime resolution passed by the Kurdistan Parliament and the Sinjar Women Survivors Law issued by the Iraqi Parliament have not been implemented. A member of the Leadership Council of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) asserts that the government has failed to carry out the necessary actions, and individuals responsible for the catastrophe resulting from their negligence should be held accountable in a court of law.

Salar Mahmoud, a member of the PUK Leadership Council, stated to PUKMEDIA that the PUK has exerted significant endeavours to recognise the genocide committed against the Yezidis in the Kurdistan Region and Iraq. 

"However, a more thorough investigation is required to adequately compensate for the harm resulting from the negligence of other entities and individuals," he said.

"The PUK actively contributed to the passing of the law regarding women survivors of Sinjar in the Iraqi Parliament. Additionally, thanks to the PUK's efforts, the Kurdistan Parliament successfully adopted a resolution addressing the crime committed in Sinjar," he added. 

According to Mahmoud, the most effective approach to address the Yezidis' wounds is to enforce legal rulings and seek official recognition of the Yezidi slaughter as genocide at the Hague Tribunal.

The outcome of the parliamentary committee is unknown

50 days following the catastrophe, the Kurdistan Parliament established an interim committee consisting of 11 members to conduct an investigation into the classification of crimes committed against the minority communities as genocide. However, even after a decade, the committee has yet to produce any outcomes.

The KRG has been negligent

Salar Mahmoud, who is also a member of the previous term of the Kurdistan Parliament, said: "The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) neglected to implement the decision of the Kurdistan Parliament, ignoring the content of the decision when it could have brought the negligence of this disaster to justice."

Mahmoud added: "Sinjar was abandoned by one party, leaving its inhabitants vulnerable to a range of criminal activities. Hence, it is obligatory upon the government and the parties involved to identify any instances of negligence and ensure that those responsible are held accountable through legal proceedings, while an international tribunal should also be established to address the Yezidi massacre, as it constitutes an international crime and should be officially recognised as genocide."

On August 3rd, 2014, ISIS terrorists launched a vicious attack on Sinjar, the mainland of the Yazidis, and a disputed town in northern Iraq, killing thousands of Yazidi men and abducting women and children to later be forced into slavery. The attack also led to the displacement of hundreds of thousands of members of the community. Most of them fled to the Kurdistan Region, while others resettled to neighboring countries in the region or Western states.

According to unofficial sources, the terrorists massacred more than 3,200 Kurdish Yazidis and kidnapped about 7,000 Yazidis, mostly girls, women and children, some of whom are still missing.

A total of 111 PUK Peshmergas lost their lives while protecting Sinjar, while some parties fled without immediately without even trying to defend the people living in the region which created this tragedy on the Yezidis.



PUKMEDIA