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
Iraq, 9 December 2024
Yazda has launched a new report titled ‘Under Constant Threat: Hate Speech Against the Yazidi Community in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region of Iraq’ that sheds light on the wave of hate speech which targeted the Yazidi community in August 2024, few days after the 10th commemoration of the Yazidi genocide.
On August 3, 2024, during a commemoration of the Yazidi genocide, a remark during a speech by a Yazidi Peshmerga Commander, sparked widespread outrage after being perceived as offensive to Islam. Despite the commander’s later clarification that his remarks targeted extremist ideologies, the backlash led to a surge of hate speech on social media, primarily in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI) against Yazidis. The wave of hate speech that followed caused widespread panic among Yazidis, leading thousands to flee Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camps in KRI to find refuge in their areas of origin. Many families returned to Sinjar, where they continue to face severe insecurity, inadequate infrastructure, and insufficient support.
Over the years, there has been a growing pattern of hate speech notably coinciding with the commemoration of the Yazidi genocide on August 3rd and raising fears of renewed violence against the community.
"We as Yazidis feel that we are surrounded by death; wherever we go, we are encountered by death. We fled from Shingal to Kurdistan thinking that we would be safe and secure here; however, many hate speeches have taken place against us.” - Yazidi Survivor living in the KRI
Through this report, Yazda aims to document and analyze this new campaign of hatred while placing it within a broader historical context of institutionalized discrimination, stigmatization and persecution of the Yazidi community.
For the purpose of this report, Yazda analyzed 62 messages from 51 screenshots taken during the August 2024 hate speech wave. From the 62 messages analyzed:
- 25 call for another genocide;
- 16 call for violence;
- 22 refer to Yazidis as devil worshipers, supporters of Satan or infidels;
- 6 call for the use of gender-based violence against women and girls from the Yazidi community or glorify crimes of sexual violence committed by ISIL;
- 21 include insults, curses, or refer to Yazidis as animals.
These messages illustrate the urgency of tackling the root causes of violence, hate, discriminations and divisions. These waves of hate speech have deep consequences on the targeted community, and also on the Iraqi society as a whole.
"I cannot sleep. Every time I hear the threats, I remember the faces of my brothers who were killed in front of me and my mother who was taken by ISIS." - a Yazidi mass grave survivor living in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq.
The report also provided for a set of recommendations. Yazda calls on both the Iraqi government and the Kurdistan Regional Government of Iraq to strengthen their legal framework to protect minority rights while tackling the root causes of hate and violence, notably through education and awareness. Yazda also calls on social media platforms to take deliberate and urgent steps to address instances of hate, racism and misinformation and any content that incites violence, hostility or discrimination.
Natia Navrouzov, Executive Director of Yazda commented:
“In light of the hate speech that occurred last year, we feared that another wave could emerge this year. This fear stems from the precarious situation of the Yazidis in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region. Despite the passing of ten years since the genocide, the underlying causes remain largely unaddressed. While efforts have been made on the military front to defeat ISIL and on the humanitarian front to meet some of the community's needs, there has been little progress in tackling the root causes of the genocide. Without addressing these issues, the risk of another genocide remains alarmingly real. For the Yazidi community and all those who lived through the horrors of August 2014, this situation is deeply unsettling, continuing to evoke fear and trauma.
However, the recent wave of hate speech presents an opportunity for Iraq, the KRI, and the international community to reflect on the gaps and build upon the Yazidi Survivors Law. It is crucial to draft and promote a comprehensive transitional justice framework in Iraq, one that provides ISIL survivors with justice, accountability, and a sense of agency over their future. Without these concerted efforts, the Yazidis face the existential threat of disappearing from the region altogether.”
Yazda strongly condemns hate speech against all ethnic and religious groups and communities in Iraq and the KRI, including Muslims, Christians, Yazidis, Turkmen, and Shabak, as well as discourses against tolerance and coexistence between communities.
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Read and Download the Full Report Here: English
Download the English press release here.
Arabic and Kurdish versions to be published soon.
For media inquiries, please contact:
Tonny Omondi
Media and Communications Coordinator, Yazda
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.
