Ezidi genocide survivors win EU human rights prize

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (Kurdistan24) – Two Kurdish Yezidi (Ezidi) women who survived sexual enslavement from the Islamic State (IS) won the Sakharov award on Thursday.

The award comes after both women, Nadia Murad and Lamiya Aji Bashar, became advocates for Ezidi Kurds who were enslaved, tortured, and executed by IS following the occupation of Sinjar (Shingal) in August 2014.

The first Kurdish woman to receive the Sakharov award was Leyla Zana in 1991. She also became the first Kurdish lady to win a parliament seat in Turkey.

Zana was jailed for a decade by the Turkish government for her political activism after the Turkish courts charged her for attempting to disunite the country.

Both Murad and Bashar, among many other Ezidi women, were kidnapped by IS when their village Kojo in Shingal was attacked by the jihadist group.

The Freedom of Thought Sakharov prize was established in 1988. It was named after the Soviet physicist Sakharov.

The award is given to “individuals who have made an exceptional contribution to the fight for human rights across the globe.” 

The EU called Murad and Bashar “public advocates for the [Ezidi] community in Iraq, a religious minority that has been the subject of a genocidal campaign by IS militants.”

Additionally, Murad is the UN’s Goodwill Ambassador and, earlier this month, she won the Václav Havel human rights of Europe’s Council award.

The EU statement mentioned that Bashar attempted to escape from IS several times before her final getaway in April after her family paid local smugglers to assist her in fleeing the extremists.

Later, she went to Germany where she was re-united with her family and received medical care.

“Since her recovery, Bashar has been active in raising awareness of the plight of the [Ezidi] community and continues to help women and children who were victims of IS enslavement and atrocities,” the statement added.

Editing by Karzan Sulaivany