Politics

KRG pressures International Community, Baghdad to recognize Shingal Genocide

Minister of Martyrs and Anfal Affairs of Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) stated that the government has submitted an official request to the international community for officially recognizing the massacres in Shingal (Sinjar) and other Kurdish areas overran by the Islamic State (IS) as genocide.

Ehsan Mamakani 2015/12/13 17:24

kurdistan Kurdistan Sinjar Iraq Shingal ISIS Yezidi

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Minister of Martyrs and Anfal Affairs of Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) stated that the government has submitted an official request to the international community for officially recognizing the massacres in Shingal (Sinjar) and other Kurdish areas overran by the Islamic State (IS) as genocide.

On Wednesday, Mahmoud Haji Salih, KRG Minister of Martyrs and Anfal Affairs, announced that the KRG is consistently pressuring Iraq to join the International Criminal Court (ICC) in a gathering held between the Ministry of Martyrs and Anfal Affairs and the Department of Foreign Relations on the occasion of International Justice Day. Salih also added he has asked the United Nations Security Council to recognize the Shingal (Sinjar) genocide on an international level and to help the victims recover financially, emotionally, and psychologically.

Salih, who is also Head of High Committee of Recognizing Shingal Genocide, briefed the meeting about the crimes committed against the Kurdish people by the Iraqi government since its establishment in 1920 until the most recent attacks by IS. He also stressed that the Iraqi government has consistently failed to fulfill its national duty towards protecting its citizens against genocide and urged the international community to help find a lasting solution.

Falah Mustafa, the Head of KRG Foreign Relations, stated that International Justice Day holds a special importance for the Kurdish people, who have been victims of several ethnic cleansing campaigns and also genocide. Mustafa also highlighted the important role of the US-led coalition in the war against IS and international humanitarian assistance given to the several hundreds of thousands of internally displaced peoples (IDP) in the Kurdistan Region.

Mustafa mentioned that KRG takes continuous efforts to prevent such crimes to repeat against Kurdish nation and will always stand against terrorism. KRG will not forget these crimes against its nation and will bring those responsible to justice in a legal way like that of 1991, 2003 and 2014, he added.

He also said providing assistance to victims’ families, raising international awareness against terrorism, and recording these crimes for future generations is a crucial responsibility.