Drone shot of Hardan junction in Sinjar where lie 6 mass graves and 1 kill site following executions of Yazidis carried out by ISIL on 3 August 2014, picture taken on 1 July 2021 by Yazda documentation team
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February 21, 2022
February 21, 2022
February 21, 2022
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On 22 February 2022, the Martyrs Foundation, the Iraqi authority in charge of the processes of exhumation and identification of victims, in cooperation with the UN Investigative Team for Accountability of Da’esh/ISIL (UNITAD), will begin the exhumation of mass graves in the village of Hardan, on the North side of Sinjar Mountain. Survivors from Hardan, global Yazidi NGO Yazda and Amal Clooney, legal counsel to Yazidi survivors and to Yazda, welcome this important milestone in the investigation of crimes committed by the so-called Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) against the Yazidi minority in Iraq.
Between 2019 and 2020, a total of 18 mass graves were exhumed in Sinjar (17 in Kocho and 1 in Solagh) and the remains of 145 victims were identified and buried so far. There are still around 70 unexhumed mass graves and as people return to their areas, new sites are discovered. In Hardan, a total of 6 mass graves and one kill site needs to be exhumed and the work will be performed over the course of the next 3 to 4 weeks. Hardan is the first village on the North side of Sinjar Mountain where exhumations will be carried out with the technical support of UNITAD. Like many other villages in Sinjar, Hardan was attacked by ISIL on 3 August 2014. 362 Yazidis were kidnapped, 132 of whom are still missing and might be identified among the excavated remains. In November 2021, Yazda reported on the situation in Hardan, which still carries the marks of the attacks and needs urgent humanitarian assistance.
Tomorrow, a ceremony organized by the families, with the support of civil society organizations, will take place in the presence of the Yazidi community members and Iraqi and international officials. Yazidi religious rituals will be performed in honor of the victims before remains are taken to the mortuary in Baghdad for identification purposes. After identification, the remains will be returned to the families for dignified burial ceremonies.
Yazda teams and other partners will be present to support the Yazidi community in this difficult moment by providing medical and mental health services on site. Yazda teams will also answer questions of the families and refer them to the Martyrs Foundation and to UNITAD whenever needed. An outreach video will be published shortly after the event to reach the families living abroad and not able to travel to Iraq.
Shireen Khero and Zina Khalat, two survivors from Hardan and members of the Yazidi Survivors Network commented:
“Today is the day we remember that humanity failed us, and genocide was committed against us. As a result, we were held captive for years and lost so many of our family members. After almost 8 years our wounds are ripped open as exhumations of the mass graves are starting in our village. Today we ask the Iraqi authorities to join forces with allies to search for the 2,700 missing Yazidis.”
Amal Clooney, Legal Counsel to many survivors and to Yazda, commented:
“I extend my deepest condolences to the families of Hardan and hope that the Iraqi authorities, in cooperation with the UN Investigative Team in Iraq (UNITAD), can complete the exhumation process for all remaining mass graves as soon as possible”.
Baba Sheikh, the Head of the Yazidi faith stated:
“Members of our community have laid undignified in mass graves for more than 7 years now. It is crucial that all mass graves in Sinjar are exhumed, and that Yazidi religious rituals are performed over every single site in the presence of the families.”
Yazda’s Country Director in Iraq, Jameel Chomer adds:
“Hardan clearly illustrates the brutality of ISIS and other terrorist organizations: in this small and peaceful village, hundreds of people were killed or were kidnapped within hours, many of which are still missing today. The elimination of ISIS extremist ideology requires concerted international efforts, otherwise, history will continue to repeat, especially for minorities such as the Yazidis.”
Download press release here.
For the Arabic version, click here.
