Iraq pledges justice for Yazidis on 11th anniversary of Shigur Genocide

BAGHDAD — As Iraq marks the 11th anniversary of the genocide committed by ISIS terrorists against the Yazidi people on August 3, 2014, officials have renewed their commitment to justice and accountability. The attack claimed thousands of lives and subjected many more to forced displacement, looting, rape, and mass abduction. On this occasion, numerous governments, institutions, political parties, and human rights organizations issued statements condemning the atrocities and calling for their formal recognition as genocide, along with justice for the Yazidi people.

In a statement issued Friday, the Iraqi Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it remembers the day “with great sorrow and grief,” describing the atrocities committed by ISIS terrorists as “brutal crimes” that targeted innocent civilians from the Yazidi community and other Iraqi groups. The ministry reaffirmed its strong condemnation of the crimes.

It also expressed deep solidarity with the victims and their families and emphasized the importance of international recognition of these violations, labeling them as “acts of genocide, systematic violence, and human enslavement.”

The ministry reiterated its call on countries to recognize the crimes committed against Yazidis and other Iraqi communities as genocide. It underscored the need for international cooperation to recover those still missing and called for stronger collaboration with governments and international organizations to ensure such atrocities are never repeated.

Speaker of the Iraqi Parliament, Mahmoud al-Mashhadani, also issued a statement reflecting on the events of 2014. He described the Shigur (Sinjar) tragedy as “a deep wound in the conscience of humanity,” recalling how thousands of innocent men, women, and children were led to death and destruction, and entire families were displaced, enslaved, and terrorized solely because they belonged to an ancient and peaceful religion.

“We do not mark this anniversary only to remember a painful tragedy,” he said. “We renew our commitment to achieving justice, compensating the victims, rehabilitating survivors, and ensuring these crimes never happen again.”

Al-Mashhadani stressed that these atrocities “cannot be erased by time or protected by the statute of limitations—they must be confronted through law and tireless effort.”

He pledged to the Yazidi community the full and uncompromising implementation of the Yazidi Survivors Law without delay, the disclosure of the fate of the disappeared, and the opening of mass graves through specialized parliamentary investigative committees. In addition, he called for clearly designated budgets to rebuild the Shigur (Sinjar) district and other affected areas, the adoption of additional legislation, foremost among them a Law on Crimes Against Humanity, and the integration of the Yazidi tragedy into Iraq’s educational and historical curricula to raise national awareness.

Al-Mashhadani concluded by emphasizing the need to hold accountable the institutions and individuals that have failed in their duties regarding this humanitarian issue.