Beth Nahrain Women’s Organization marks 11th anniversary of Yezidi Genocide, urges justice and reconstruction

BETH NAHRIN — Local and international commemorations and condemnations continue on the 11th anniversary of the 2014 Yezidi Genocide in Shigur (Şengal / Sinjar), northern Iraq.

The Beth Nahrain Organization for Women (BNOW) in Iraq emphasized that the genocide perpetrated by the Islamic State (ISIS) remains one of the most heinous crimes committed against civilians and innocent people in modern history.

According to BNOW, the 2014 genocide resulted in the deaths of 1,293 Yezidis and the abduction of over 6,000 others, most of them women and children.

“Women were enslaved, raped, and sold in slave markets under ISIS rule, in full view of the world,” the organization stated. “These atrocities, alongside ethnic and religious cleansing, were carried out against a peaceful, indigenous population by an extremist ideology systematically executed through a well-funded agenda in the region.”

The group noted that the wounds of the genocide remain unhealed: thousands of Yezidis are still missing, some killed and buried in mass graves, others still held captive by ISIS, while many remain displaced between the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI) and refugee camps.

“Even after 11 years, Yezidis are still denied their rights. Shigur remains in ruins, and those responsible for these crimes — along with their collaborators — have yet to face fair accountability,” the statement continued. “Many are prosecuted only for their affiliation with ISIS, without addressing their full role in the genocide.”

BNOW stressed the urgent need for comprehensive justice for the Yezidi community. This includes the full reconstruction of Shigur, the revelation of the fate of all missing and abducted Yezidis, the safe and voluntary return of displaced persons, and fair compensation that preserves their dignity and restores their homes.

The organization also called for international recognition of the Yezidi tragedy as a genocide, a crime against humanity, and a war crime.

Finally, BNOW urged both the Iraqi state and society to constitutionally safeguard Yezidi rights by enacting explicit legal provisions guaranteeing their protection and ensuring their equality as Iraqi citizens.