Portugal to receive 470 Ezidi refugees

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (Kurdistan24) – The government of Portugal shows willingness to receive 470 Ezidi (Yazidi) refugees.

Anna Gomez, Portuguese politician and representative of Portugal in the European Union parliament in a press conference on Tuesday stated that Ezidis have faced a brutal massacre by the Islamic State (IS) "and those currently living in the Greece camps, their lives are not protected.”

“I have been informed by the Portuguese government to receive 470 Ezidis who are currently living in Idomeni camp in northern Greece,” Gomez told reporters.

Dr. Dinay Mirza, an Ezidi physician based in Germany, talked about the Ezidi massacre and the difficulties they have faced in the past years stating that 6000 Ezidi women and girls were held captive by IS extremists in 2014 and the rest of the Ezidis were displaced inside their own country.

Mirza stated that “IS is trading with the Ezidi women and girls and there are nearly 3,400 of them under IS captivity.”   

According to Mirza, the Ezidis living in the refugee camps have faced abuse and are living in a dangerous situation, and they have been under threat and attack several times.

Lamiya Taha, an Ezidi survivor from the IS captivity, spoke up about the abuse and torture and said she was sold several times by IS extremists. “The situation under IS control is very bad; I hope all the women and girls [who are] now under IS captivity will be freed.”

In August 2014, the Islamic State (IS) occupied the Kurdish Ezidi city of Sinjar (Shingal) in the southwest of the Kurdistan Region.

The insurgents abducted and enslaved Ezidi women and children as well as killed thousands.

Hadi Dubani, Director for Yezidi (Ezidi) affairs in Duhok Province, previously told Kurdistan24 that so far 2,593 have been freed, and 3,793 Ezidis remain in IS custody.

“We have asked the federal government of Iraq, Arab countries, and international organizations to help us rescue Ezidis from [IS],” Dubani added.

Editing by Ava Homa