Nadia Murad, President of Nadia’s Initiative (NI), was honored this week with the “Justice for Defenders of the Rule of Law” award at the 2024 Albie Awards hosted by the Clooney Foundation for Justice (CFJ). The Albies “recognize and celebrate those who have put their lives on the line in their fearless fight for justice around the globe.” Both Nadia and the work of NI were recognized during the event.

At the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) 2024 Annual Meeting, Nadia’s Initiative (NI) introduced a transformative, one-stop-shop Women’s Center in the Sinjar region of Iraq. The first of its kind in Sinjar, the Center serves women and girls in the region, including those who survived the genocide carried out against the Yazidi people by ISIS ten years ago.

After more than eight years of dedicated work and commitment as a Goodwill Ambassador for the Dignity of Survivors of Human Trafficking with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), Nadia Murad is moving on to pursue new challenges.

UNITAD's new report once again makes clear that the ISIS attack on Sinjar in August 2014 and the subsequent acts committed against the Yazidi community in Iraq constitute genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes. However, what remains unclear is how the thousands of Iraqis and foreign nationals involved in carrying out these attacks will be held accountable and how the process for determining their accountability will proceed.

Nadia Murad was welcomed to Kosovo last week by President Vjosa Osmani. Together they met survivors of conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV) perpetrated during the war of 1998-1999.

On September 5, 2024, the community of Kocho, in collaboration with the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in Iraq, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Iraq, and Nadia’s Initiative, hosted a significant event to both honor the memory of the past and lay the foundation for the future. The event began with the solemn opening ceremony of the Kocho Martyr’s Cemetery, followed by the bricklaying ceremony for New Kocho Village. 

“Growing up in Kocho, this was not the future I envisioned for my village. I had imagined a Kocho where I could follow in the footsteps of the village's women, like my mother, to raise a family and grow old alongside my friends and neighbors. The 2014 massacre changed everything. However, with this new village, we must continue to tell the story of Kocho and build a strong, vibrant community.”

With support from Ta’afi and the US Agency for International Development (USAID), and in coordination with the Iraqi National Team for Mass Graves Affairs, Nadia’s Initiative (NI) recently launched a project to protect and preserve 15 mass graves across Sinjar and promote advocacy on behalf of families still awaiting the return of their loved ones’ remains. The preservation and timely uncovering of these graves and the identification and return of remains is a critical aspect of justice due to these victims and their families, and will provide a sense of closure denied to them for nearly 10 years.

Today, with her roots firmly reestablished in Sinjar, she helps other Yazidis find their own happiness. Slowly but surely, she is restoring her spirit – which may have bent, but never broke.

Thousands of Yazidi survivors, victims’ families, local community members, government authorities, and representatives from international and local organizations gathered at the mass grave in Kocho village to mark the 10th anniversary of the Kocho Massacre.

The residents of Kocho never imagined that their small village, nestled in a green valley at the foot of Mount Sinjar, would one day gain international recognition and become a significant chapter in contemporary history.

Today marks the 10th anniversary of the Kocho Massacre, one of the darkest moments of the Yazidi Genocide. Listen to survivors recount their harrowing stories of a period that has left an indelible mark on the Yazidi community.

In a single moment, four trucks loaded with explosives caused a massive explosion that devastated the streets of Qahtaniya in 2007, resulting in hundreds of deaths and injuries. The terrorist organization Al-Qaeda claimed responsibility for the attack. The pain of that day resembled what happened in August 2014, when ISIS took over the Sinjar district, bringing death and darkness to Qahtaniya once again, and destroying what was once a beautiful life there.

Many years ago, Sufyan was a young boy dealing with a challenge no child should ever face. Today, he is a confident young man who instills pride in his family and projects hope for all Yazidis.

On August 3rd, Yazidis gathered in their homeland of Sinjar to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the Yazidi genocide. Held at the Yazidi Genocide Memorial in Solagh, the event was attended by thousands of Yazidis representing the diverse mosaic of the community. Nadia Murad was present at the ceremony, sitting before the “Grave of Mothers,” where Nadia’s own mother was killed by ISIS militants. The community was joined by representatives from diplomatic missions and UN agencies, whose presence in Sinjar demonstrated an important show of solidarity.

“We stand before the international community today to declare that Sinjar is safe with its people. Restoring it to life is a moral responsibility that rests on everyone.”

“We had a choice: to cease to exist, or to fight on and continue our lives.”