Press Statement: Nadia Murad and Amal Clooney Speak Out on 7th Anniversary of Yazidi Genocide
August 3rd, 2021, marks the seventh anniversary of the Yazidi Genocide. In 2014, ISIS undertook a direct and calculated assault, massacring men and older women, enslaving women and girls, sending children to the front lines of war, and dismantling life-supporting infrastructure in Sinjar, Iraq. Today, Yazidis are still fighting for justice.
On the anniversary, Nadia Murad, human rights activist and founder of Nadia’s Initiative, said, “After seven years, I cannot understand why there has not been justice for my family and my community. Why do ISIS criminals still walk free while my sisters-in-law and nephew are the ones held captive? Where is the plan to prosecute ISIS for genocide and sexual violence? And where is the plan to support the recovery of the Yazidi community? We cannot do it alone. Beyond a plan, there must be action. When ISIS invaded Sinjar in 2014, we feared for our lives. Now, I am convinced that the most relentless threat to my community is the indifference of those in positions of power.”
Murad’s lawyer, international human rights barrister Amal Clooney, added, “Justice is the starting point of any recovery. It is the sine qua non for moving on. Yazidi survivors like Nadia have shown astounding courage in the face of evil. But for the most part, the world has looked away. If we cannot hold ISIS accountable for genocide, then what crimes will democracies come together to tackle, and what message are they sending to the terrorists? Let’s hope that in the next seven years we see a lot more concerted action to arrest and prosecute ISIS fighters and collaborators, and that other countries follow in the footsteps of Germany, where ISIS members are serving sentences for crimes against humanity, and the first genocide trial has begun.”
Background:
In 2014, ISIS committed genocide against the Yazidi community in Iraq, killing men and older women, trafficking women and girls, conscripting boys, and destroying the Sinjar region. Seven years have passed, but the trauma and destruction remain.
Today, 2,800 women and children are still missing. Approximately 200,000 Yazidis are still internally displaced within Iraq. More than 150,000 Yazidis live in Sinjar without sufficient medical supplies to respond to the COVID pandemic.
The current reality is bleak. Mass graves lie unexhumed. Families are living in poverty, without access to clean water or electricity. Internally displaced persons cannot qualify for refugee status. Survivors of sexual violence are re-traumatized every day, as their perpetrators remain free. Yazidis do not have opportunities to learn, earn a living, or rebuild their lives.
ISIS’ genocide against Yazidis was more than a campaign of terror. It was an ideology of intolerance, with the goal of extinguishing the Yazidi culture and religion.
Though Yazidis still live with the tremendous hardships caused by ISIS, international attention is fading. Multilateral search and rescue missions have failed to get off the ground, political will to hold ISIS accountable is succumbing to competing priorities, and territorial disputes between the Federal Government of Iraq and the Kurdistan Regional Government bar improvements to the security and infrastructure of Sinjar and leave a vacuum for militias to exploit.
Nadia’s Initiative, a nonprofit organization that rebuilds communities in crisis and advocates for survivors of sexual violence, has been working on the ground in Iraq and around the world to help rebuild the Yazidi community. Nadia’s Initiative is providing access to healthcare, education, and resources to empower economic recovery for communities in Sinjar. Yet, there is still more work to be done.
In commemoration of the Yazidi community’s loss and resilience, Nadia’s Initiative has launched an advocacy campaign to raise awareness that the consequences of genocide do not end when conflict does. Learn more here.