03-08-2025
Iraq renews pledge of justice for Yazidi genocide survivors
Shafaq News – Baghdad
On the 11th anniversary of the Sinjar massacre, Iraq's Foreign Ministry renewed its appeal for international recognition of the 2014 ISIS campaign against the Yazidi community as 'genocide and crimes against humanity.'
In a statement on Sunday, the ministry marked August 3 with 'deep sorrow,' denouncing the mass killings, abductions, and enslavement of Yazidis and other minorities.
Over a decade later, nearly 2,600 Yazidi women and girls remain missing, while recovery teams continue to exhume and identify remains from mass graves scattered across Sinjar and surrounding areas.
— وزارة الخارجية العراقية (@Iraqimofa) August 3, 2025
The ministry reaffirmed Iraq's commitment to locating the missing, supporting survivors, and implementing the Yazidi Survivors Law—enacted in 2021 to provide legal status and state support for women held by ISIS, including financial aid, mental health services, social reintegration, and prosecution of those responsible—while its embassies continue to advocate for justice and formal international recognition.
It also urged stronger international coordination to help trace abductees, prevent further abuses, and strengthen recovery through long-term partnerships with humanitarian groups and governments.
In turn, Deputy Speaker of Parliament Shakhwan Abdullah described the massacre as 'one of the most horrific crimes in recent history,' demanding full enforcement of the 2020 Sinjar Agreement, which aims to remove unauthorized armed groups and restore government control in the area.
He called for urgent reconstruction of Sinjar, financial compensation for survivors, and guarantees for the safe, voluntary return of displaced Yazidi families.
