Dutch Minister speaks to Yezidi women on last day of visit to Kurdistan
ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – “The crimes committed against the Yezidi community by ISIS cannot remain unpunished,” the Dutch Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation, Liesje Schreinemacher, tweeted after visiting the Khanke refugee camp in the Kurdistan Region’s Duhok province.
The suffering inflicted on Yezidis by ISIS is unimaginable. I spoke to Yezidi women who have been living in a refugee camp for several years. Their stories are heartbreaking. The crimes committed against the Yezidi community by ISIS cannot remain unpunished. 1/3 pic.twitter.com/8HWLMjy8bG
— Liesje Schreinemacher (@LSchreinemacher) April 29, 2022
“The suffering inflicted on Yezidis by ISIS is unimaginable. I spoke to Yezidi women who have been living in a refugee camp for several years,” she said.
“Their stories are heartbreaking. The crimes committed against the Yezidi community by ISIS cannot remain unpunished.”
“It is crucial that Yezidi victims are able to tell their stories in a safe environment. The Netherlands is committed to victim support and witness protection. Psychological help is essential in this area.”
She also said that the “Netherlands is making an additional contribution to the Yezidi Resilience programme. This initiative is focused on bringing together different communities in the region to counteract rising tensions.”
ISIS subjected the Yezidis of Sinjar to a campaign of genocide beginning in August 2014. Thousands were killed, and hundreds of thousands were displaced.
Thousands of Yezidis are still displaced and hosted in camps in the Kurdistan Region, unwilling to return to Sinjar.
“The minister’s visit is very important to raise awareness about the continued plight of the Yazidi community. With the world’s attention shifting to Ukraine we feel the focus is moving away from the Yazidi genocide before any of the critical issues are addressed,” Murad Ismael, the co-founder of the foundation and president of the Sinjar Academy, told Kurdistan 24.
“We hope the visit will once again underline the challenges and encourage Europe and other international actors to commit to helping the Yazidi community fully recover including IDPs return, accountability, rebuilding Sinjar, and addressing security and geopolitical roadblocks.”
Schreinemacher arrived in Erbil on Wednesday, where she was received by the Kurdistan Region's foreign relations officials.
I bid farewell to Dutch Minister @LSchreinemacher for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation after a two day visit to Kurdistan and successful meetings with PM Masrour Barzani & other KRG officials. This visit will further strengthen the cordial relations between our nations. pic.twitter.com/Ytmj9QJ9H7
— Safeen Dizayee (@SafeenDizayee) April 29, 2022
The Head of the Foreign Relations Department of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), Safeen Dizayee, tweeted on Friday that he bid farewell to Schreinemacher after her two-day visit to Kurdistan and successful meetings with PM Masrour Barzani and other KRG officials.
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“This visit will further strengthen the cordial relations between our nations,” he concluded.