15/01/2025

Iraqi MPs push for Yezidi Genocide recognition in Iraqi parliament

BAGHDAD — During a press conference, Vian Dakhil, spokesperson for the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) bloc and a Yezidi member of the Iraqi Parliament, called for urgent action to adopt a law recognizing the Yezidi Genocide.

“Out of our national and humanitarian responsibility, and based on constitutional principles that mandate justice and compensation for victims of atrocities, we urge the Iraqi Parliament to expedite the adoption of legislation recognizing the Yezidi Genocide,” Dakhil stated.

She emphasized that the crimes committed by the Islamic State (ISIS) against the Yezidis in 2014, including mass killings, the enslavement of women, and widespread displacement, meet international definitions of genocide and crimes against humanity.

Dakhil noted that KDP Yezidi MPs had already submitted a law proposal to officially recognize the genocide, and efforts to advance the proposal are ongoing.

MP Sharif Suleiman underscored the Iraqi Parliament’s moral obligation to recognize the genocide before the international community and to prioritize the law’s passage in upcoming sessions.

Mahma Khalil, another Yezidi MP, pointed out that 13 countries have already recognized the Yezidi Genocide. He urged the Iraqi Parliament and all its ethnic and political components to follow their example, stating, “The purpose of this recognition is to ensure that such atrocities are never repeated.”

The push for legislative acknowledgment highlights ongoing efforts to achieve justice for the Yezidi community and address the atrocities committed by ISIS during their occupation of Sinjar and other regions in 2014.