Petition calls on Iraq to construct monument for Yezidi genocide victims

"Memorials and monuments of the kind we are requesting preserve historical memory."

Wladimir van Wilgenburg 2022/08/02 14:04

Photos of missing Yezidis hung near a mass grave in Sinjar's Hardan village, Feb. 22, 2022. (Photo: Darman Ba'adri/Kurdistan 24)

Kurdistan Yezidi Genocide Yezidis ISIS crimes ISIS C4JR Yezidi Survivors Law SEED

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Sixty-five individuals and organizations on Monday called on the Iraqi Government to construct a monument of remembrance for the victims and survivors of the ISIS genocide against the Yezidis.

"Memorials and monuments of the kind we are requesting preserve historical memory, educate future generations, and provide a basis for ensuring that past atrocities do not repeat themselves," reads the petition on the website Coalition for Just Reparations (C4JR), an alliance of Iraqi NGOs.

We write respectfully urging the @IraqiGovernment to take decisive steps to implement the construction of a memorial for the victims and survivors of ISIL’s (Daesh) murderous genocide against the Yazidi community. Join us, Sign the Petition! https://t.co/qoEJmqcbNP
— Coalition for Just Reparations (@c4jrOrg) August 1, 2022

"Solidarity is the message we want to send. This petition was requested by the Yazidi community, and the input from so many organizations demonstrates that people in the region want to support each other," Joshua Governale, Head of PR and Development at the Jiyan Foundation US, told Kurdistan 24.

Moreover, Wansa Shamoon, the spokesperson for Coalition for Just Reparations, said the organizations "hope that this petition may put the focus back on survivors of atrocities and give voice to disenfranchised groups like the Yazidi."

On Mar. 1, 2021, Iraq's parliament ratified the Yezidi Survivors Law, which includes the construction of a monument for Yezidi victims.

"Eight years has passed since ISIS waged a genocidal campaign against the Yezidi community in Iraq. More than one year has passed since the historic passing of the Yezidi Survivors Law – a groundbreaking piece of legislation that demonstrated the Government of Iraq's commitment to recognize and support survivors in their recovery," SEED Co-Founder and Vice-President Tanya Gilly Khailany told Kurdistan 24.

"Yet to date, actions taken towards the implementation of the law are not enough."

Civil society organizations have previously complained that the law hasn't been implemented. The law includes reparations measures for survivors of ISIS from the Yezidi, Christian, Turkmen, and Shabak communities.

"While we continue to advocate for the allocation of sufficient funding for the law's full and robust implementation, this year, as a member of the Coalition for Just Reparations (C4JR), we are inviting civil society to join us in calling for the symbolic recognition of the genocide, through the construction of a memorial," Khailany said.

Khailany underlined that a memorial would not only provide survivors with a place to reflect and remember their loved ones "but create a space to honor the legacy of the women, men and children who were killed, and those who are still missing."

According to the latest statistics of the Kurdistan Regional Government's (KRG) Yezidi Rescue Office, a total of 3,554 Yezidi survivors have been rescued, 146 bodies identified, and 2,717 (1,273 females and 1,444 males) remain missing, the Free Yezidi Foundation tweeted.

Yezidi organizations have continued to advocate for efforts to rescue Yezidis.