First Lady Calls for Recognition of Yazidi Genocide & Compensation for Victims

Iraqi Presidency

Iraqi First Lady Shanaz Ibrahim Ahmed.

On the eleventh anniversary of the Yazidi genocide, Iraq’s First Lady Shanaz Ibrahim Ahmed called on the Iraqi Parliament to officially recognise the massacre as genocide and urged both the federal and regional governments to compensate the victims and address their ongoing suffering.

In a statement marking the anniversary of the atrocities committed by ISIS in Sinjar and surrounding areas on 3 August 2014, the First Lady said: “Today, with a heart filled with sorrow, we commemorate the seventy-fourth Firman—the genocide of our Yazidi brothers and sisters. This marks the eleventh anniversary of the horrific massacre carried out against our innocent people in Sinjar and its surrounding areas on 3 August 2014.”

First Lady Ahmed paid tribute to the victims, particularly Yazidi girls and women who were abducted by ISIS and remain missing. “I begin by honouring the memory of those who were unjustly martyred during these brutal attacks. I pay tribute to all the victims, particularly the innocent young girls who were abducted and enslaved by the barbaric terrorists of ISIS. We continue to wait for the return of those who remain missing,” she said.

“While every previous Firman inflicted deep wounds upon our Yazidi community, the atrocities of August 2014—perpetrated in broad daylight before the eyes of the world—were exceptionally painful and bitter,” she said. “They served as a grim reminder that the threat to our very existence has not yet passed, and that we remain vulnerable in this dark era of violence and extremism.”

She also recalled the desperate plight of Yazidi families who fled to the mountains of Sinjar in the searing August heat, with no water, no shade, and no aid.

She said: “We must never forget how the barren, scorching mountains of Sinjar—devoid of water, trees, or shade—became the only refuge for many Yazidi families fleeing death,” she said. “In those harrowing early days… which regional or international forces came to their aid? Aside from a handful of brave fighters, our people were left to fend for themselves.”

“This sense of abandonment,” she continued, “forced the Yazidi community to rely solely on their own strength in defending their homes, their dignity, and their future.”

While commending countries such as the United States and several European nations for recognising the events as genocide, the First Lady criticised Iraq’s Parliament for failing to do the same. She called on lawmakers to pass legislation that would compel the government to take responsibility and prevent future atrocities.

“It is the duty of the Iraqi Parliament to officially acknowledge this genocide and ensure such crimes are never repeated,” she said.

She also urged the Iraqi government to work with the Kurdistan Regional Government to compensate victims and support the return of remains and abductees still held by ISIS.

In her concluding remarks, First Lady Ahmed reaffirmed her commitment to justice, expressing confidence that the perpetrators of these crimes would one day face accountability. “Just as the executioner of Nugra Salman was brought to justice after nearly forty years, so too will those responsible for the Yazidi genocide.”

The Islamic State (ISIS) terrorist organisation seized vast parts of northern and western Iraq in June 2014. Two months later, on 3 August 2014, the organisation launched a genocide against the Yazidi community in the Shingal (Sinjar) district, which is heart of the Yazidi land. They kidnapped 6,417 Yazidi women and children. Many people were subjected to sexual slavery and forced labour. In the space of a few weeks, more than 5,000 people were killed.



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