Baba Sheikh Demands Special Court, Sinjar Reconstruction on Genocide Anniversary

ERBIL (Kurdistan24) – As Yazidi (or Ezidi) Kurds in Kurdistan and Iraq commemorated the painful eleventh anniversary of the genocide in Sinjar, their spiritual leader, Baba Sheikh, issued a comprehensive and urgent call for justice, demanding the formation of a specialized court for genocide crimes, the full reconstruction of the region, and intensified international efforts to uncover the fate of more than 2,800 people who remain missing.

On Sunday, marking the solemn occasion of the Aug. 3, 2014, attack by the terrorist organization ISIS—a crime described as one of the most heinous in modern history—Baba Sheikh, Sheikh Ali Sheikh Ilyas, released a statement commemorating the souls of the victims. In the message, he stressed profound solidarity with the families of the martyrs, the survivors, and the missing, whose fates remain agonizingly unknown to this day.

The statement placed a direct and firm call to action upon both regional and global powers. It called on "the Iraqi government, the Kurdistan Regional Government, and the international community to intensify efforts to achieve justice." A central demand was the formation of a "specialized court for genocide crimes to hold the perpetrators of the crimes against the Yazidis accountable."

Furthermore, the spiritual leader stressed the critical need for wider international recognition of the atrocities as a crime of genocide under international law. To prevent any future repetition of such a tragedy, the statement emphasized the necessity for the "documentation of all crimes, evidence, and testimonies."

Baba Sheikh affirmed the ongoing suffering of countless families, stating that "thousands of families are still waiting to learn the fate of their loved ones." He called on "the relevant authorities and international organizations to intensify search operations and uncover the fate of all missing women, children, and men."

The message renewed the persistent demand for the complete rehabilitation of the Yazidi homeland. It called for the "reconstruction of the Shengal district and the creation of a safe environment for the dignified return of the displaced." This physical reconstruction, the statement noted, must be paired with healing for the survivors through dedicated psychological, social, and economic support, including "rehabilitation programs and fair compensation that guarantee their integration into society without stigma or discrimination."

Looking toward the long-term security of the community, the statement emphasized the "importance of protecting the religious and cultural rights of the Yazidis in the constitution and laws, and supporting religious and cultural institutions to preserve the Yazidi identity." In a related call, it proposed the establishment of a "national or international center to document the crime of genocide against the Yazidis."

Baba Sheikh also took the opportunity to praise the "local and international humanitarian efforts and civil society organizations that have contributed to supporting the Yazidis over the past years."

He concluded on a note of solemn resolve, stressing that the "memory of the genocide will remain a wound in the collective memory and a motivation to work for a future where peace and justice prevail."

The solemn anniversary serves as a stark reminder of the catastrophe's scale, with official figures illustrating the depth of the loss. The number of abducted Yazidis reached 6,417, of whom 3,562 have survived. The fate of 2,827 remains unknown. The genocide also left 2,745 children orphaned. To date, 83 mass graves have been discovered, and ISIS destroyed 68 Yazidi shrines and religious sites.