IRAQ: Mass graves of Yezidi victims of ISIS in Shigur (Shengal) opened according to Yezidi customs and traditions

SHIGUR, Iraq — The Islamic State (ISIS) invasion of Shigur (Shangal), Iraq, left thousands of Yezidi victims in Shigur (Shengal or Sinjar), Iraq. Dozens of mass graves in which ISIS buried the Yezidi victims are still closed, and their identities are still unknown.

On Tuesday, religious ceremonies were held to open some mass graves and conduct medical analyses to determine the identities of the victims and bury their remains according to Yezidi customs and traditions.

The mass graves in the village of Hardan, located in the eastern side of Mount Shigur, were opened, with the participation of the supreme religious authority of the Yezidis, Baba Sheikh Ali Sheikh Elias, Yezidi clerics, and Hardan village residents and volunteers.

According to official statistics, 27 of the 87 discovered mass graves have been opened in various areas of Shigur.

Today begins the process of returning dignity to the victims, and providing some form of closure for their families in #Hardan , #Sinjar , #Iraq . The remains of innocent villagers killed by the Islamic State #ISIS #Daesh have been left unprotected and exposed for years. pic.twitter.com/aZ3pk5YsTY

— FreeYezidiFoundation (@Free_Yezidi) February 22, 2022