We call for an immediate flight zone to be established.
The Yazidi community has been oppressed for centuries and is threatened with genocide.
After the KDP-Kurdish regional government withdrew more than 12,000 armed forces from Sinjar, our homeland was attacked on August 3, 2014 by the so-called Islamic State (IS). Our children were beheaded, women raped and sold, and men killed or tortured and burned. We were driven from our homeland, which was looted by the IS.
With the Yazidi self-defense unit YBS / YJS, which we founded after this gruesome genocide, we guarantee our people security and defend our homeland. We have come to the conclusion that only self-government and self-defense, tied to the Iraqi central government in Iraq, enable us to live as citizens of Iraq with equal rights in the present and future situation in the Middle East.
The Yazidi religious community is one of the indigenous people of Iraq and has the same rights and obligations in the country as the other ethnic and religious communities.
The existence of us Yazidis has been negated by the international community for many decades.
We have experienced discrimination, persecution, and ethnic and cultural cleansing. We lack the recognition of our ethnic, cultural and religious identity, although we are indigenous people of Mesopotamia. We need to unite as citizens of Iraq who believe in the future of our country. Since August 3, 2014, no one has looked after the Yazidis in Sinjar. In the meantime, the Yazidis have founded their self-government council, women’s movement, youth movement, teaching in schools, municipalities and city administration and communities. The resistance units of the Sinjar YBS, the resignation units of the women of the Sinjar YJS fought against IS and liberated the Sinjar region.
It is well known that the Yazidi religious community is the oldest religion in Mesopotamia. The Yazidi religious community was attacked by the Islamic State on August 3, 2014 and a cruel genocide was carried out. After this genocide, we Yazidis decided to set up our own self-government forces and fight against IS. Since we did not receive any help at the beginning or afterwards and were left defenseless to IS by the armed forces on site. As a result, on January 14, 2015, we founded the YBS, the self-governing armed forces of Sinjar. Up to now and the liberation of Sinjar, we have lost hundreds of Yazidi men and women in the fight against IS.
It is correct that the PKK came to Sinjar shortly after August 3, 2014 and saved 10 thousand Yazidis from an IS genocide. The PKK supported the Yazidis until they were able to defend themselves. We Yazidis are very grateful to the PKK. However, the PKK withdrew from Sinjar on April 1, 2018. This withdrawal of the PKK from Sinjar was also confirmed by the US State Department. We would like to remind everyone once again that there are no PKK in Sinjar, only Yazidis YBS and YJS.
Since the liberation from the IS terrorists, the Turkish town has repeatedly attacked the region in and around Sinjar. Since October 2019, at the same time as the Turkish state invaded Rojava, the Turkish state has bombed the region in Sinjar 6 times to this day. Several Yazidi fighters from the YBS self-governing forces were killed in these attacks by the Turkish state.
The YBS are the protection units of the Yazidis, they are responsible for protecting the Yazidi religious community in the Sinjar region. Without the YBS, 140,000 Yazidis would not be able to return to their homeland, the Sinjar region, at this point in time.
The Turkish region repeatedly attacks the Sinjar region and bombs the YBS positions. With these facts, there is no doubt that the Turkish government wants to carry out another genocide of the Yazidi religion and empty the Sinjar region.
We appeal again to the USA, which controls the airspace in Iraq, to stop Turkey in its attacks against the Yazidis. Many civilians have been killed and injured in the four attacks in Turkey since October 2019.
YBS positions were bombed again yesterday evening, one YBS fighter was killed and one seriously injured in this attack.
We would like to make it clear again that it is these people who are being bombed by the Turkish state, and are also the same fighters who protect the protection of the Yazidis.
The Ezidis do not pose a threat to Turkey. Nevertheless, the Ezidis are defenseless against the attacks of the Turkish state. For us Yazidis it is incomprehensible why the international public accepts the attacks of the Turkish state in silence and does not stop their NATO partner in his violations of human rights. We call on the USA to close the northern Iraqi airspace, especially around the Sinjar region, with immediate effect to the Turkish state and thus to stop the Turkish air strikes.
We expect a written confirmation of this measure. And emphasize once again that we do not pose a threat to Turkey or any other country or religion.
For the past five years, despite the lack of funds, we have tried to organize one after the other to meet our requirements. These efforts have created trust in our community. After the massacre, 15,000 of our population had to seek shelter on Mount Shengal in order to save their lives.
As part of our self-government in Shengal, a political, economic, social and security-relevant basis was created on which our people can return home. In the past year and a half, tens of thousands of our people have returned home due to the poor conditions and repression in the camps. There are currently 200,000 people living in the Ezidis alone. In addition to that number, thousands of Arabs and Muslim Kurds have returned. Every month 30-40 families, i.e. H. 90-100 Yezidi, back home.
Here we would like to make it clear that our people in Sinjar suffer from fear and physical problems due to air strikes by the Turkish state. Many of the women have miscarried as a result of air strikes. over 100 school children suffer from physical problems.
We demand:
– Immediate no-fly zone over Sinjar
– Recognition of the YBS and YJS Yazidi self-defense units
-Recognition of Sinjar Self-Government
– The agreement of October 9, 2020 between the regional government surrounding the KDP and the Iraqi central government is a further basis for the continuation of the genocide of August 3, 2014, so we are calling for the agreement to be repealed immediately.
MXDS-Demokratin Self-Government Council of Sinjar.
PADE-Party for Democracy and Freedom of the Yazidis
MŞD-Ezidi Exil Council Sinjar
With the support of CAP Liberté de Conscience
Contact: sengal.3.8.2014@gmail.com