Two years after Shingal onslaught, 3,200 Ezidis remain IS sex slaves
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (Kurdistan24) – On Wednesday, the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon asked the international community to save the 3200 Yezidi (Ezidi) women and children still captivated by IS.
Ban Ki-moon expressed his ‘profound sympathy’ to the families of the victims and the survivors as well as deep concern for the safety of the people – particularly thousands of Ezidi women and children that remain in the hands of the jihadists.
On August 3, 2014, IS occupied Shingal and started mass executions against the Ezidi people. They kidnapped and enslaved Ezidi women and sold them in markets under their control.
On November 14, 2015, in a successful offensive, Peshmerga forces liberated the city with the support of the international coalition air strikes.
On Wednesday, Ezidis in the Kurdistan Region commemorated the second anniversary of Shingal occupation in the city and their most important temple Lalish, in the Province of Duhok.
“The Secretary-General reiterates his strong condemnation of the heinous crimes that continue to be committed by ISIL [IS] against the diverse ethnic and religious communities of Iraq,” said a statement issued by Ki-moon's spokesperson.
He called upon the international community and the Coalition to make their release a “prime objective” in their military operations.
“The Secretary-General stresses that the crimes committed by ISIL [IS] in Iraq may constitute war crimes, crimes against humanity and even genocide,” the statement continued. He asked the Iraqi Government and the international community to continue to support the survivors.
Additionally, the Secretary-General also called on the federal government of Iraq to bring the perpetrators of these crimes to justice without delay or refer them to the International Criminal Court (ICC).
Commission of Inquiry on Syria stated earlier that in the early hours of Shingal occupation by IS, jihadists brutally attacked Ezidi people. The commission’s report, titled "They Came to Destroy: ISIS Crimes Against the Yazidis," which was released on June 16, 2014, states that IS has committed crimes of genocide and crimes against humanity as well as war crimes.
The Commission notes that genocide and war crimes against Ezidis continue after two years of Shingal occupation that over 3,200 women and children still held by the jihadists and “being subjected to almost-unimaginable violence.”
According to the commission, most of the Ezidi girls are in Syria and continue to be abused.
“It is the responsibility of the United Nations, and the international community to take action to stop the on-going genocide, to care for its victims, and to bring those responsible to justice,” the spokesperson concluded the statement.
Editing by Ava Homa