Date:

Issued on:

Last updated:

November 15, 2021

November 15, 2021

November 15, 2021

Contact:

Phone:

Email:

Seán Fobbe 

+49 89 716 714 45

legal@rashid-international.org

Seven years after the beginning of the 2014 genocide committed by the Islamic State against the Êzidîs (‘Yazidis’ or ‘Yezidis’) the final report of a joint investigation conducted by RASHID International, Yazda and the Endangered Archaeology in the Middle East and North Africa Project (EAMENA) has been released. The results were published in Volume 5 of the peer-reviewed Asian Yearbook of Human Rights and Humanitarian Law (AYHR), an international human rights periodical edited by Professor Javaid Rehman, the UN Special Rapporteur on the human rights situation in Iran.


International attention concerning the genocide has generally focused on murder, slavery and sexual exploitation. We analyzed the destruction of Êzidî tangible and intangible cultural heritage as a significant facet of the Islamic State’s policy of ethnic cleansing and genocide. Evidence of destruction is collected and presented in context with other criminal acts.


The Êzidî are an endogamous community at home in northern Iraq for whom faith and ethnic belonging are inextricably linked. Belief in God and Tawûsê Malek (the highest angel), and reverence for Lalish as the holiest place on earth are the defining features of the Êzidî faith. Historic and sacred places are an essential part of the Êzidî identity and are considered vital to life by the local population. The Islamic State made no secret of its intention to eradicate the Êzidî community and commenced a policy of ethnic cleansing and genocide on 3 August 2014. All victims were abused and tortured. Male Êzidîs above the age of 12 were killed. Female Êzidîs were enslaved and traded in a complex and public network of sexual slavery. Boys were trained in ISIS camps and militarized. Those who fled to Mount Sinjar were besieged in order to ensure death from starvation, thirst and the blazing sun. Bases of economic support, such as olive groves and irrigation wells, were systematically destroyed and many areas of the Êzidî homeland were sown with landmines and improvised explosive devices (IEDs) to prevent the population from returning.


The peer-reviewed AYHR publication provides original research, evidence and context on the destruction of Êzidî tangible cultural heritage in the Bahzani/Bashiqa and Sinjar areas of northern Iraq. We present satellite imagery analysis conducted by the EAMENA project, drawing on data provided by Êzidî representatives. According to the Department of Yazidi Affairs in the Ministry of Awqaf and Religious Affairs in the Kurdistan Regional Government 68 Êzidî sites were destroyed by the Islamic State. We consider 16 sites in the Bahzani/Bashiqa area and 8 in the Sinjar area to which access was possible and which could be documented.


The destruction of cultural heritage sites is most often considered a war crime. Several convictions by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) and the conviction of Malian Islamist Al-Mahdi by the International Criminal Court (ICC) are well-known. However, heritage destruction may also be prosecuted as the crime of persecution, a crime against humanity. Numerous indictments and convictions before international courts attest to the viability of this approach. Finally, grounded in explicit case law of the International Court of Justice (ICJ), destruction of tangible heritage also serves as evidence of the special intent to destroy a protected group under the crime of genocide.


We conclude that the destruction of the cultural heritage of the Êzidî people constituted a war crime, a crime against humanity (persecution) and compelling evidence of genocidal intent. We recommend the consideration of cultural heritage destruction in any prosecution of atrocity crimes, especially the crime of genocide.


Download press release here.




Online Availability:
The final report is intended to be read in conjunction with the original 2019 report, which includes extensive ground imagery and site descriptions to provide additional context.


Example Citation:

Fobbe, Seán, Natia Navrouzov, Kristen Hopper, Ahmed Khudida Burjus, Graham Philip, Maher G Nawaf, Daniel Lawrence, Helen Walasek, Sara Birjandian, Majid Hassan Ali, Salim Rashidani, Hassan Salih, Dawood Sulaiman Qari, and Faris Mishko. ‘Cultural Heritage Destruction during the Islamic State’s Genocide against the Yazidis’. In The Asian Yearbook of Human Rights and Humanitarian Law (pp. 111-144). Brill Nijhoff. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1163/9789004466180_006



            ###



Yazda is a global community-led institution that protects and champions all religious and ethnic minority communities, including Assyrians, Chaldeans, Kakais, Shabak, Turkmen, and Yazidis in Iraq, Kurdistan Region, and Syria.


Founded in 2014 at the onset of the genocide perpetuated by Da’esh, also known as Islamic State in Iraq and Levant (ISIL) against the Yazidis, as well as war crimes and crimes against humanity against other minorities, Yazda leads advocacy and strategic projects in Dohuk, Sinjar, and the Nineveh Plains, as well as global diaspora hubs.


We work hand-in-hand with our partners, including United Nations agencies, key donor governments, the Iraqi and Kurdistan Regional Governments, and instrumental community organizations to ensure justice, accountability, and a sustainable future for all is swiftly reached. We are fervently determined to ensure Never Again, so that no community and people ever face genocide.


-


RASHID International is a worldwide network of archaeologists and cultural heritage experts dedicated to safeguarding and promoting the cultural heritage of Iraq, ancient Mesopotamia. To assist our Iraqi colleagues, we collect and share information, research and expert knowledge, work to raise public awareness, and both develop and execute strategies to protect heritage sites and other cultural property through international cooperation, advocacy and technical assistance.

We are registered as a non-profit organisation in Germany and enjoys charitable tax-exempt status under German law. We are an organisation in special consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council since 2019.


www.rashid-international.org


-


The EAMENA Project rapidly records and evaluates the status of the archaeological landscape of the MENA region in order to create an accessible body of data which can be used by national and international heritage professionals to target those sites most in danger and better plan and implement the preservation and protection of this heritage. The EAMENA project is a collaboration between the Universities of Oxford, Leicester and Durham in the United Kingdom and is supported by the Arcadia Fund and the British Council’s Cultural Protection Fund. 


www.eamena.org

11 December 2024
11 December 2024 Today, the international crimes division of the District Court of The Hague handed down the verdict in the Hasna A. case . It is the first trial in the Netherlands in which a member of the so-called Islamic State in Syria and the Levant (ISIL, also referred to as ISIS, IS, or by its Arabic acronym Daesh) has been convicted for crime committed against Yazidis. Hasna A., a Dutch national, travelled to Syria in 2015 with her four-year-old son, married an ISIL-member and lived in the ISIL-controlled city of Raqqa. She was tried for charges related to membership of ISIL, a terrorist group, as well as for endangering her son by bringing him with her to Syria and keeping him there. Importantly, Hasna A. also stood trial for the use of two Yazidi women as domestic slaves. The Yazidi women –referred to throughout the criminal proceedings only as ‘Z.’ and ‘S.’— had been enslaved by ISIL in August 2014. They were enslaved and kept in several houses where Hasna A. stayed whilst living in Raqqa in 2015 (Z.) and 2016 (S.), and Hasna A. forced them to perform domestic chores. Hasna A. also forced Z. to look after her four-year-old son. The slavery charges were brought against Hasna A. as crimes against humanity. Hasna A. is one of twelve Dutch women who had been repatriated from detention camps in Northern Syria at the end of 2022. She was arrested upon arrival in the Netherlands and taken into pretrial detention, appearing before the Trial Panel every three months. The Trial Panel had referred the case to the investigating judge and further investigation took place into the charges, which included hearing both Yazidi women as witnesses in 2024. The substantive hearings in the criminal proceedings against Hasna A. took place before the Trial Panel on 14, 16 and 17 October 2024. In today’s verdict, the court sentenced Hasna A. to a 10-year prison sentence for four offences: enslaving Z. in Syria in 2015, membership to the terrorist organization ISIL, promoting terrorist crimes and endangering her minor son. The court held that the enslavement of Z. amounted to a crime against humanity. The sentence is higher than the demand of the public prosecutor, who had demanded a prison sentence of eight years. The slavery charges against S. were not proven and Hasna A. was acquitted in relation to this offence. The verdict is available in Dutch and an English translation will be available soon. The two Yazidi survivors Z. and S. who participated in the trial as victims (survivors), injured parties and witnesses to the facts were accompanied by Yazda and supported throughout the process with translation, mental health and awareness support. The arrest, prosecution and trial of Hasna A. sends a clear message that, like other countries applying similar universal jurisdiction principles, the Netherlands will not be a safe haven for ISIL perpetrators. With today’s conviction, the Netherlands becomes the second country in the world to convict an ISIL-member for international crimes committed against Yazidis, looking beyond terrorism. Z. commented : "Our dream has finally come true, and we’ve achieved the result we longed for. This woman, Hasna A., caused us immense harm, and now it’s time for justice to prevail. Holding individuals accountable for their actions is a vital part of the justice process." S. added: "Honestly, I’m truly relieved to see justice finally served. However, a 10-year prison sentence feels insufficient and will never fully compensate for the suffering we have endured.” The outcome of this trial would have also not been possible without their legal representatives, Brechtje Vossenberg and Barbara van Straaten from law firm Prakken d’Oliveira Human Rights Lawyers in Amsterdam (the Netherlands). Brechtje Vossenberg commented: “It is thanks to the bravery and resilience of women like Z. and S. that the court was able to hand this verdict down and convict Hasna A. for the international crime of slavery committed against Z. Despite the disappointment that the charges relating to S. were unfortunately not proven, the verdict still marks another milestone in the long road to justice for the Yazidi community. It is the first of its kind here in the Netherlands and an important signal that the international crimes committed against Yazidis will be prosecuted here whenever possible. My clients’ participation in this trial was crucial to the establishment of the truth and the measure of justice that was obtained here today. I take my hat off to them both.” The Dutch court took a groundbreaking approach by providing online access to the substantive hearing sessions in both Dutch and Kurdish Kurmanji. This allowed survivors abroad and those who were unable to attend the hearings in person, to follow remotely both the substantive hearings in October and the pronouncement of the judgement today. Yazda facilitated screenings of the trial in Duhok (Kurdistan Region of Iraq) and Sinjar (Federal Iraq) where most of the global Yazidi community members currently reside. Around 40 members of the Yazidi community, including family members of one of the witnesses in the case attended the events and were, for the first time in a decade, able to witness justice in action. Following the verdict, one participant commented: “We want ISIL criminals to face fair sentencing, and we hope other countries will follow the Netherlands’ example in prosecuting these criminals.” Another added: “Other trials should be accessible online, and survivors in those countries should be invited to attend.” This trial is another milestone in the quest for justice by ISIL survivors. It is also only the 10th conviction worldwide of an ISIL member for crimes against Yazidis, a decade since the start of the genocide. Indeed, 9 convictions were handed down in Germany so far, including three for genocide. Recently, Sweden and France have initiated legal proceedings against alleged ISIL members for their involvement in crimes against Yazidis, signaling an important step in holding perpetrators accountable in a broader international context. However, the recent and abrupt closure of UNITAD on 17 September 2024 might jeopardize ongoing investigations and trials in third countries as the question of the accessibility of the evidence has still not been resolved. Natia Navrouzov, Executive Director at Yazda commented: "We commend the Dutch authorities and everyone who supported this case. Witnessing survivors follow the livestream of the verdict today from our offices in Duhok and Sinjar was a powerful reminder of the purpose behind our work, as it is ultimately for them. We are deeply proud of Z. and S., whose courage in coming forward made this case possible. While we are immensely relieved that Hasna A. has been convicted for her crimes, we had hoped the slavery charges concerning S. would also be fully acknowledged." ### Read the Arabic press release here. Download this English press release here. For media inquiries, please contact: Tonny Omondi Media and Communications Coordinator e: tonny.omondi@yazda.org About Yazda: Yazda is a non-governmental, non-profit organization that was established in 2014 in response to the genocide committed by the self-declared Islamic State (ISIS) against the Yazidis and other minorities in Iraq. Yazda manages a portfolio of humanitarian, justice, advocacy, and development-related projects, all of which are community and survivor-centered in terms of design and implementation. Since its inception, Yazda has been working with local and international partners to provide humanitarian, accountability, and advocacy services to vulnerable minority groups in Iraq in their post-genocide recovery. The organization has been operating in Iraq since October 2014 and has main offices in Duhok in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq and a branch office in Sinjar in Nineveh Province. Yazda is registered as a non-profit organization in the United States, the United Kingdom, Iraq, Kurdistan Region of Iraq. Over the past 8 years, Yazda has grown to employ around 80 staff on average, received support from numerous donors, both institutional and individual, and has reached tens of thousands of direct and indirect beneficiaries through its programs and initiatives.
10 December 2024
December 10, 2024. IRAQ- Human Rights Watch and Yazda condemn the wave of hate speech which targeted the Yazidi community in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI) in August 2024. We are concerned by these acts that threaten the peace, safety, and coexistence that the Iraqi society strives to maintain. Coinciding with the tenth anniversary of the Yazidi genocide committed by the self-proclaimed Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), Yazidis in Iraq have been again subjected to waves of disturbing languages advocating hatred and inciting violence, hostility and discrimination. Such rhetoric has fuelled online attacks, insults and threats of violence and incitement to violence, with some messages ultimately calling for another genocide. These attacks created a sentiment of fear in the Yazidi community which is still coping with the trauma related to the genocide committed by ISIL from August 2014 onwards. Many Yazidis have reached out to Civil Society Organizations in fear of imminent attacks, and hundreds of families left the Internally Displaced People (IDPs) camps in the Kurdistan region to return to Sinjar by fear of violence in the KRI. The surge in hate speech illustrates the unresolved and unaddressed discrimination and systemic violence faced by Yazidis and other ethnic and religious communities in Iraq. The root causes of hate and violence committed against minority and indigenous communities in Iraq have never been addressed by Iraqi and KRI authorities, to ensure the crimes committed against them are never repeated. Human Rights Watch and Yazda unequivocally denounce hate speech against any religious, racial or national groups, and stand firmly against extremism in all its forms. The undersigned call upon the Iraqi government, the Kurdistan Regional Government and all other relevant authorities to take immediate and decisive action to ensure the safety and security of all ethnic and religious groups in Iraq, including from hate speech and other violent acts: To the Iraqi Government: Adopt a comprehensive law on the protection of minority rights in Iraq, including protection from online violence and other forms of advocacy of hatred, in accordance with international law and standards while ensuring that they do not unlawfully restrict the right to freedom of expression and freedom of press. Fully implement the Yazidi Survivors Law and develop a comprehensive plan for the next 5 to 10 years on the transitional justice process in Iraq, establishing the truth over the crimes committed and tackling the root causes of hate. Promote awareness and education and ensure the inclusion, in the education programs, of information on all the ethnic and religious groups in Iraq, their religion, culture and history. Include, in the history curriculum, a dedicated chapter on the genocide and other crimes committed by ISIL against minority groups. The Ministry of Education should ensure the participation of all ethnic and religious minorities in the creation and review of this curriculum, to ensure accurate self-representation. Foster interfaith dialogue between the various religious and ethnic communities in Iraq, by facilitating open dialogues and awareness campaigns that challenge divisive and violent narratives and promote mutual respect. To the Kurdistan Regional Government: Enforce the Kurdistan Region's Law on Minority Rights by focusing on strengthening enforcement mechanisms essential to protecting minority groups. Ensure the protection of minorities from online violence and hate speech, while preserving freedom of speech, freedom of press and freedom of expression. The Ministry of Education should ensure the participation of all ethnic and religious minorities in the creation and review of this curriculum, to ensure accurate self-representation. Issue clear guidelines and ensure the provision of training by the Ministry of Endowment and Religious Affairs to religious leaders to counter stereotypes, eradicate discrimination and foster greater equality, including on ways of preventing hate speech and promoting the rights of minority groups. Ensure inclusion, in the education programs, of information on all the ethnic and religious groups in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, their religion, culture and history. Include, in the history curriculum, a dedicated chapter on the genocide and other crimes committed by ISIL against minority groups. To META and other big tech companies: Take urgent steps to address instances of hate, racism and misinformation on online platforms to ensure that they do not cause or contribute to human rights abuses. Remove content including videos, posts, photos and comments that incite violence, hostility or discrimination against specific groups with protected characteristics and suspend the accounts of repeated offenders. Preserve an archive of human rights violations and abuses that may have evidentiary value, and provide access to data for independent researchers and investigators, including those in the fields of human rights, while protecting user privacy. Adequately staff and resource moderation teams must include staff fluent in various Arabic and Kurdish dialects and with a deep understanding of regional issues. The moderation teams and any automated tools they use must be trained to effectively reduce the spread of hate speech and violence in the different languages, including in Kurdish and Arabic. Engage meaningfully with organizations defending the right of the Yazidi community to develop policies and features, from design to implementation and enforcement, including on content moderation and trust and safety strategies that prioritize addressing incitement to violence, hostility, or discrimination against the Yazidi community. Companies should be proactively prepared to address waves of hate speech that may arise during particular times, including the commemoration of the genocide. To the International Community: Acknowledge and condemn the ongoing advocacy of hatred that incites violence and discrimination against the Yazidi community and monitor developments closely. Support the implementation of the Yazidi Survivors Law and additional transitional justice measures in Iraq and the KRI and support the passage of a law by the Iraqi Parliament on the protection of minority rights in Iraq. Ensure that the hate speech and other forms of violence and systemic discrimination faced by Yazdis in Iraq up until today are taken into account when assessing the protection claims of Yazidis. Support projects aiming at tackling the root causes of violence and hate through education, awareness and dialogue. Finally, we urge Iraqi citizens to stand in solidarity with the Yazidis and all minority groups, fostering an environment of mutual respect and peaceful coexistence. Iraq and the Kurdistan Region of Iraq’s strength lies in its diversity, and all actors should work together to protect and celebrate this diversity. Human Rights Watch and Yazda remain committed to continuing our efforts to promote human rights, justice, and reconciliation. Read this open letter in Arabic here . We look forward to receiving your inquiries at media@yazda.org
9 December 2024
Under Constant Threat: Yazda Launches Report on Hate Speech Targeting the Yazidi Community in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region, Urging Action from Both Governments and the International Community
Show more
by Farhad Ali 14 March 2024
The release of this crucial report follows the UN Security Council (UNSC) resolution to extend the mandate of the Investigative Team to Promote Accountability for Crimes Committed by Da’esh/ISIL ( UNITAD ) only until September 2024 ( UNSC resolution 2697/2023 ). The report reflects the concerns and recommendations of Iraqi NGOs and survivors' networks. Yazda, a member of the Coalition for Just Reparations ( C4JR ), joined an alliance of Iraqi NGOs in calling for comprehensive reparations for survivors of atrocity crimes perpetrated during the ISIL conflict in Iraq. In September 2023, prior to the passing of resolution 2697 by the UNSC, Yazda led the publication of a statement endorsed by 50 organizations expressing concerns about the imminent closure of UNITAD. Subsequently, within C4JR, Yazda facilitated consultations with NGOs online and in person, ensuring that their feedback was communicated to the UN, particularly in preparation for the UN Secretary-General's report released in January 2024 on Iraq’s request to receive UNITAD’s evidence. In parallel, Yazda consulted survivors’ networks, including Hope Givers, Survivors Voice Network (SVN), Speicher-1700 NGO, and the Yazidi Survivors Networks (YSN), incorporating their perspectives into the report. Natia Navrouzov, Executive Director at Yazda and co-author of the report, comments: “The report, especially its concrete recommendations, is a testament to the deep knowledge of Iraqi civil society on issues of justice and the lack thereof in Iraq. Iraqi organizations are the experts and should not be ignored. We advocated for the creation of UNITAD but were not involved in its termination. To this day, we have not been presented with a clear strategy from Iraq and the international community regarding the fate and more importantly, the use, of the evidence collected by UNITAD and what comes next. While UNITAD’s completion roadmap, due on 15 March 2024, may provide some answers, we were not meaningfully consulted on it either. Moving forward, we want to be part of the conversation and of the solution.” For the Arabic version of the Press Release, click here . For any inquiries, please contact info@yazda.org ### 300 North 27th Street, Suite C. - Lincoln, Nebraska 68503, USA info@yazda.org - www.yazda.org
by Farhad Ali 22 January 2024
22 January 2024 Ceremonies in Baghdad, Solagh and the three villages (Hardan, Kocho and Qney) On 22 January 2024, under the auspice of the Office of the Prime Minister and in the presence of Iraqi and international officials and Yazidi community members, a funeral will be held in Baghdad following the identification of 41 Yazidi victims from Hardan, Kocho and Qney. Following this national-wide ceremony, the remains of the victims will be taken to Sinjar where a local-led ceremony will be organized on 24 January 2024, at the recently inaugurated Yazidi Genocide Memorial in Solagh. During this ceremony, Yazidi religious rituals will be performed. The remains of the victims will be then handed over to their families to allow them to bury them in their respective villages of Hardan, Kocho and Qney. From 24 to 26 January 2024, mourning days will be observed in these three villages and members of the community will be able to visit and pay their respects. The return of the sixth batch of remains and ongoing exhumations The identification of the remains was carried out by the Iraqi Medico-Legal Department (MLD) of Iraqi Ministry of Health, with the assistance of the UN Investigative Team for Accountability of Da’esh/ISIL (UNITAD) and the International Commission on Missing Persons (ICMP). The UN-supported exhumation process in Sinjar started in March 2019 and is ongoing. So far, around 60 mass graves have been exhumed and around 20 still need to be opened. The mass graves in Kocho and Solagh were the first ones to be exhumed from March 2019, followed by Hardan in February 2022 and Qney in June 2022 . This is believed to be the sixth batch of remains of Yazidi victims to be returned to Sinjar and a total of 41 victims were identified. Previously, remains have been returned mainly to Kocho and Solagh and the identification process is still ongoing. Support provided by Yazda and partners As for previous ceremonies, Yazda and other organizations will accompany Yazidi community members during this extremely sensitive time. Yazda has been coordinating the process over the past months with the national authorities and members of the community as well as partners from the International Organization for Migration (IOM), UNITAD and Nadia’s Initiative which will be present to provide support during the ceremonies. From its side, Yazda will deploy different teams to the burial sites. Yazda’s Case Managers will be present to provide psychological support and Yazda’s Mobile Medical Unit will provide medical assistance to the community where needed. Yazda’s Documentation Team will film the official speeches, report on the ceremonies and interview the authorities and partners, including members of the MLD and representatives of UNITAD and ICMP. The community will be invited to provide feedback on the process and report any concerns. Yazda’s Investigation Coordinator and focal point for the event, Ismail Qasim comments: “We have been supporting the process of exhumations over the past 5 years at least and it is far from being done. The crime scenes left by ISIL are countless and necessite joint efforts from all stakeholders involved, including internationals. Therefore, it is crucial that Iraq continues its collaboration with entities such as UNITAD to support the affected communities to recover the remains and bury them in a dignified way." Yazda presents its condolences to all the affected families as well as the wider Yazidi community and reiterates its commitment to work tirelessly in the pursuit of justice and the truth. For the Arabic version of the Press Release, click here .
© Corporate compliance insights
by Farhad Ali 18 January 2024
Yazda welcomes the decision rendered on the 16 th January, 2024, by the Cour de Cassation, the French Supreme Court, confirming the indictment of Lafarge, now Holcim, for complicity in crimes against humanity. This decision echoes the landmark ruling in this case rendered in September 2021 , which held that any person can be indicted as an accomplice to crimes against humanity, if it knowingly provided support to the perpetrator of such crimes, even in the absence of intent to associate oneself with the commission of their crimes or to adhere to their criminal projects. With this new decision by the Cour de Cassation, the victims of the Syrian and Iraqi conflict are a step closer to justice for the horrors inflicted upon them by ISIS and other terror groups. This decision validates the gravity of the allegations against Lafarge and sends a strong signal that corporations must be held accountable for their actions, especially when they may contribute to crimes against humanity. “Yazda reiterates its commitment to seeking justice for the Yazidi community and other victims of ISIS. As a civil party in the Lafarge case, Yazda will continue to actively participate in the legal proceedings, in the pursuit of truth and accountability,” commented Natia Navrouzov, Legal Advocacy Director at Yazda. “This decision constitutes a significant milestone in these critically important proceedings, which will serve as a landmark for corporate accountability for international crimes. Despite numerous attempts by the defendants to obtain the dismissal of the charges of complicity of crimes against humanity on technicalities, we are now one step closer to having this case heard by a trial court and decided on its merits”, commented Luke Vidal, counsel for Yazda. For the Arabic version of the Press Release, click here . ### 300 North 27th Street, Suite C. - Lincoln, Nebraska 68503, USA info@yazda.org - www.yazda.org
رؤية المزيد
Share by: