U.S. Religious Freedom Commissioner Urges Action on Missing Ezidis, Stresses Need for Safe Return
US religious freedom envoy warns 2,600+ Yezidis remain missing post-ISIS, demanding urgent global action. Safe return to Shingal requires guaranteed protections, as survivors await justice and reunification with stolen families.
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) – In a candid interview with Kurdistan24, Mohamed Elsanousi, the U.S. Commissioner for International Religious Freedom, voiced deep concern over the thousands of missing Yezidi (Ezidi), particularly women and girls, who remain unaccounted for years after ISIS atrocities in Iraq.
Grave Concerns for the Missing
“We’re very concerned about the missing Ezidi communities and the women and girls that are missing. We reported that as a commission,” Elsanousi stated, highlighting the persistent and painful absence of at least 2,500 to 2,600 Ezidi individuals. “Every day, we hear these stories,” he said, referencing a recent testimony from a young Ezidi woman about her still-missing family.
Elsanousi emphasized that the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), an independent federal agency, continues to report these cases in its official publications and actively advocates for coordinated efforts to locate the missing.
Urging U.S. and Global Coordination
The commissioner called for enhanced collaboration among U.S. government bodies and civil society. “We also call for a collaboration and partnership with the State Department, with other civil society organizations… to coordinate and find the best way we can bring those missing back to their families.”
He explained that while the USCIRF is not part of the State Department, it plays a vital advisory role. “We provide policy recommendations. We advise Congress and the White House that it is so critical for us to accelerate our efforts to find those missing communities.”
Ezidi Return Hinges on Religious Freedom
Addressing the future of displaced Ezidis, Elsanousi stressed that safe and voluntary return must be rooted in guaranteed religious freedoms. “Ezidi communities, of course, they need to go back to their home, but we want to make sure that the conditions of religious freedom or belief are there.”
He warned against a premature return to areas like Sinjar (Shingal) if conditions remain unstable. “We don’t want to repeat what happened to them. We want them, when they go back, to be comfortable with that… The conditions are not okay. Well, I don’t think they are okay. Otherwise, they would have gone back.”
Policy Recommendations on Safe Return
Elsanousi concluded by noting that the USCIRF would continue urging the U.S. government to ensure religious freedom and safety for Ezidis in any future resettlement efforts. “Our policy recommendation to the government is to make sure that the State Department, in their discussions with the Iraqi government, makes sure that the conditions are okay so that they can return back.”
The commissioner’s remarks underscore the critical urgency of international accountability and the central role of religious freedom in post-conflict reconstruction for Ezidi survivors.
