A Decade On, Remembering the Kocho Massacre

Ten years ago, Nadia’s home village of Kocho was torn apart by unthinkable atrocities. On August 15, 2014, after two weeks under siege, ISIS unleashed a brutal, systematic campaign of executions and enslavement on the Yazidi people of Kocho.

Today, Kocho remains largely in ruins. A new cemetery stands as a reminder of the lives lost to some of the most horrific acts in living memory – but many of the graves remain empty, as the community waits for the remains of their loved ones to be exhumed and identified. 

A decade on, the trauma of what transpired in Kocho still resonates. Yet, amidst the suffering, the Yazidi community continues to fight for justice, planting seeds of hope in the soil of their homeland. On this day, we honor the victims of the Kocho Massacre and pay tribute to the resilience of the survivors.