Hevi Ezda

Shengal (Sinjar)- The Yazidi community has been subjected to many genocidal attacks for years. On August 3, 2014, ISIS attacked Shengal, abducted seven thousands of Yazidi women and children and killed thousands of Yazidis. While all state just watched the genocide against the Yazidi community, Yazidi women were sold in slave markets. Although eight years have passed since ISIS committed the genocide against Yazidis, the wound of the Yazidis is still fresh because many countries, including Iraq, have not recognize the attacks of ISIS against the Yazidi community as a genocide. Yazidis think the Sinjar agreement signed by the Turkish state, Iraq and KDP (Kurdistan Democratic Party) on October 9 is a continuation of the genocide against them.

Efforts to rescue Yazidi women abducted by ISIS

During the genocide, some Yazidi women managed to flee from ISIS; however, some were subjected to physical and sexual torture after being abducted by ISIS. While the Platform to Save Women Kidnapped by ISIS was formed in Diyarbakır to rescue the Yazidi women abducted by ISIS, the Women's Defense Units (YPJ) started efforts to rescue the abducted Yazidi women. Thanks to these efforts, hundreds of Yazidi women were rescued from ISIS. However, there are still many Yazidi women waiting to be rescued.

 Mass graves

 After the genocide, the Yazidi women formed their own defense units to protect themselves and their people. Now, they take part in all spheres of life in order to prevent another genocide to be committed against their community. In addition, they make efforts to find out and identify the Yazidis killed and buried in mass graves by ISIS. So far, 21 mass graves, containing about 500 bodies have been exhumed in Shengal. About 60 mass graves have not been exhumed yet.

 Genocide continues

 The Iraqi state, which left the Yazidi community alone during the genocide, still supports the genocidal attacks carried out by the Turkish state on the Yazidi community. In addition, the Iraqi state supports the intimidation policies of the KDP against the Yazidi community. The policies of the Iraqi state against Shengal in cooperation with the KDP and the Turkish state target the leaders and values of the Yazidi community every time. The attacks against Shengal are always carried out during a special period. What is interesting is that the Iraqi state decides to exhume a mass grave in Shengal after each of its attacks on the Yazidi community.

 Yazidi leaders are targeted

On February 27, an attack targeted the fighters of the YBŞ (Shengal Resistance Units) and killed YBŞ commanders Pîr Çeko and Agir Cefrî in the town of Khanasor (Xanesor). Six days later, the Iraqi state decided to exhume a mass grave in the village of Hamedan, east Shengal. The Iraqi officials held a ceremony while exhuming this mass grave. However, Shengal Democratic Autonomous Administration and defense units were not invited to this ceremony. People close to the KDP and the Iraqi state and Baba Sheikh, the spiritual leader of the Yazidi community, attended the ceremony. Women attending the ceremony broke into tears, hoping to find the bodies of their missing relatives.

She lost all of her relatives

 When ISIS attacked Shengal, Yazidi woman Sakine Mirad Xidar thought, like all Yazidis, that they would be protected by peshmerga and Iraqi forces. However, the Peshmerga and Iraqi forces withdrew from Shengal when ISIS attacked Shengal. Mother Sakine, one of Yazidi mothers, lost all of her relatives in the genocide. “Now, I live in the village of Solak. When ISIS attacked us, I lived in the village of Hamedan. ISIS abducted 95 Yazidis in our village. ISIS transferred us to Telifer from Hamedan. 72 people returned to the village. 22 Yazidi women were abducted by ISIS. All we want is to find them alive or dead,” Mother Sakine told NuJINHA.

 ‘We waited for this mass grave to be exhumed for years with hope’

Mother Sakine wants to learn what happened to their loved ones. “We waited for this mass grave to be exhumed for years with hope. We want to learn what happened to our loved ones. We are exhausted. 23 men from my family, including my five sons, my husband, my uncle and his children, have been missing. Some people buried in this mass grave are from other villages. During the genocide, the people from Til Binat and the surrounding villages tried to go to the mountain, and our village is on the way to the mountain. ISIS captured some of them. So, we do not know how many people were buried in this mass grave.” Mother Sakine said.

 The Yazidi women attending the ceremony held photos of their loved ones. They told us the stories of their loved ones, hoping that they would learn what had happened to their loved ones.