Yazidis demands self-determination
PADÊ co-chair Omar Salih spoke to ANF about an official visit of a delegation from Shengal to Iraqi President Barham Salih. The essential demand is self-determination, the Yazidi politician stated
A delegation from Shengal held an official meeting with Iraqi President Barham Salih at his official residence on 19 June. The discussion focused on the situation in Shengal and Iraq and the demands of the Yazidi community. Omar Salih, co-chairman of the Yazidi party PADÊ, was part of the delegation.
According to Salih, talks took place in Shengal beforehand to determine the members of the delegation and to prepare a report for the Iraqi government on the current situation, the existing problems, possible solutions and the demands of the Yazidi society.
The delegation was composed of representatives from Ittihad Wetanî, Teqaddûm, PADÊ, the Yazidi women's movement TAJÊ, the Shengal Autonomous Council, the Christian and Turkmen communities and other representatives. "There were about twenty of us and we presented the demands of our people to Barham Salih," said Omar Salih, adding that the delegation represented the entire population of Shengal.
According to Omar Salih, the basic demand of the delegation is the self-determination of the people living in Shengal. An important topic during the discussion was the situation of the people displaced from Shengal during the ISIS onslaught in 2014. The PADÊ co-chair said that their return is prevented for political reasons. "We are not hostile to anyone and no one has driven the KDP out of Shengal," Omar Salih explained. Rather, he said, the KDP suddenly withdrew in 2014 and left the population to the massacres of ISIS.
“Some are trying to stir up conflicts within the Yazidi community and turn people against each other. We will not allow that. We are ready for dialogue with all Yazidis, our door is always open for talks. What is important to us above all is alliance in order to protect Shengal and our people. We also appeal to the people for this.
The MIT (Turkish intelligence service) has established itself everywhere and, unfortunately, there are also Yazidis in Shengal who work together with the Turkish secret service. Denunciations are taking place. The Turkish state wants to occupy Diyala, Selahaddin and Ambar as well as Mosul and Kirkuk and is acting very aggressively," said Omar Salih.
More mass graves Shengal
6 more mass graves are being opened in Shengal, where ISIS committed massacres in 2014On August 3, 2014, many villages and districts in the Yazidi town of Shengal in Southern Kurdistan were subjected to all-out slaughter by ISIS. Those who were killed in the onslaught were buried in mass graves. Of the 87 mass graves located in Shengal since, 34 have been opened so far
As the anniversary of the massacre against the Yazidi people is looming, the fate of those who disappeared during the massacre has been brought to the agenda once again. The Iraqi government is currently opening the mass graves where those murdered during the massacre are buried.
The exhumation of the remains of victims in 6 mass graves has started in the village of Qinde, located in the southeast of Shengal. According to witnesses, nearly 100 people are buried in the mass graves.
Hundreds of people with pictures of the victims gathered in the area of the mass graves. A delegation of the Shengal Autonomous Administration was also present in the village of Qinê where the mass graves were opened.
The bodies to be exhumed will be sent to Baghdad for DNA tests. The remains of the victims will then be handed over to their families once their identity information is clarified after DNA tests.
It is reported that the work in mass graves will last a few days.
Turkey should face internationalcourt over Yazidi genocide
The British newspaper The Guardian published a feature about a report, compiled by a group of prominent human rights lawyers, saying that Turkey should face charges in front of the international court of justice for being complicit in acts of genocide against the Yazidi people.
The groundbreaking report is seeking to highlight the binding responsibility states have to prevent genocide on their territories, even if they are carried out by a third party such as Islamic State (IS).
The lawyers, grouped under the title of the Yazidi Justice Committee (YJC), said there was accountability under international law for states to prevent the crime of genocide under the Genocide Convention. Sir Geoffrey Nice QC, chair of the YJC, described the genocide of the Yazidi people as “madness heaped on evil”.
“Turkish officials knew and/or were wilfully blind to evidence that these individuals would use this training to commit prohibited acts against the Yazidis,” the report said.
The report noted similar allegations have been made against some Gulf states, including Qatar, but insufficient evidence was produced.
The 278-page report acknowledged that by June 2014, Iraq had called on the UN to recognise the atrocities committed by IS, but accused the Iraqi government of not coordinating with Kurdish authorities or taking measures to evacuate the Yazidis to safety.
The Syrian government, the report alleged, failed to prevent the transfer and detention of enslaved Yazidis on its territory.
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