MEDİNE MAMEDOĞLU

Amed – Eight years have passed since ISIS committed a genocide against the Yazidi community on August 3, 2014. Thousands of Yazidis were killed, abducted and forcibly displaced from Shengal by ISIS. Many of the Yazidi women, who were abducted by ISIS, are still missing. In Shengal, where the wounds of the genocide are still fresh although eight years have passed, the only agenda of the people after the genocide is their organization and defense.

 2,700 women are still missing

 The Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) Batman MP Feleknaz Uca indicated that the Yazidi community faced exile, forced displacement and oppression after the 74th edict (The genocide committed by ISIS in 2014). She also reported that 2,700 Yazidi women are still missing. Noting that a genocide was committed against the Yazidi community in front of the whole world, Feleknaz Uca said that a struggle should be  waged for the Yazidi women held captive by ISIS.  

 “Their aim was to destroy the free will of women”

 Stressing that the Yazidi people experienced an unhealed pain on August 3, 2014, Feleknaz Uca said, “The 74th edict was committed against the Yazidi people in front of the whole world. Their aim was not only to force the Yazidi people to leave Shengal or annihilate them but also destroy the free will of women in the person of Yazidi women. Women were forced to wear black abaya and sold in slave markets in Mosul.”

 “Yazidi people should organize and protect themselves”

 Mentioning that the wounds in Shelgal have not been healed although eight years have passed, Feleknaz Uca said that thousands of the people of Shengal still live in tents in many cities such as Zakho and Duhok. “We see that Baghdad has been suffering from great unrest, Shengal is one of the places in Iraq where the people have a peaceful life. But the peace in Shengal is under attack. Today, all people in Baghdad take to the streets, the only solution to the unrest is autonomy. The autonomy system in Shengal is a good model for all people across Iraq. We observe the revival of ISIS in the recent attacks. The Yazidi people should protect themselves against ISIS because no one can protect them except themselves. Now, all the people in Baghdad are uprising, they are attacking each other. If the Yazidi women and men do not protect themselves, they will be left unprotected again. The Turkish state has been attacking Shengal; a provocative campaign has been carried out against Shengal with the decision of the central government. All of these issues are linked to each other,” Feleknaz Uca told NuJINHA.

 “The only solution is the autonomy of Shengal”

 Emphasizing that the only solution for the Yazidi people is to live in the lands of their ancestors and the autonomy of Shengal, Feleknaz Uca called on the Yazidi people to organize their assemblies and strengthen their defense against the dirty plans on Shengal. “Today, the Yazidi families, who had to leave Shengal, are sent to other countries such as Canada and Australia. This is not a solution for the Yazidi people. The only solution for the Yazidi people is to live in the lands of their ancestors and the autonomy of Shengal. There are still Yazidi women abducted by ISIS leaders in Ankara. How are these women taken to Ankara by ISIS leaders? How do they cross the border? If the state has no communication with these leaders, how do those leaders come here? All of these issues must be discussed. We should struggle to find out what has happened to 2,700 Yazidi women, who have been missing since they were abducted by ISIS.”