Erbil, Kurdistan Region (GOV.KRD) – Prime Minister Masrour Barzani delivered remarks at the ceremony marking the 12th anniversary of the Ezidi Genocide and the Sinjar massacre. The ceremony was also attended by Mir Hazim Tahsin Beg and Baba Sheikh of the Ezidis and the Patriarch of the Chaldean Church in Iraq and the world.
In his speech, Prime Minister Barzani paid tribute to the victims of genocide and the sacrifices of the Peshmerga forces, who liberated Sinjar and the surrounding areas from ISIS under the leadership of President Masoud Barzani.
The Prime Minister also outlined the KRG’s efforts to rescue kidnapped Ezidis and support survivors and other members of the Ezidi community. He called on the federal government to help implement the Sinjar Agreement so that the Ezidi people can return to their homes and homeland in safety and dignity.
The following is the full content of his speech:
I thank all of you for attending this important occasion. I thank Mir Hazim Tahsin Beg, His Holiness the Baba Sheikh, His Beatitude the Patriarch, the representative of Prime Minister Ali Al-Zaidi and Foreign Minister of Iraq, Dr. Fuad Hussien, Consul Generals, and all distinguished here today.
Today, we commemorate the 12th anniversary of the genocide committed against our Ezidi sisters and brothers. ISIS terrorists perpetrated the gravest crimes against them, shocking the conscience not only of the people of Kurdistan, but of humanity around the world.
On the day these crimes were committed, President Masoud Barzani pledged that we would seek justice and liberate Sinjar from the terrorists and oppressors. One hundred days later, I was alongside President Barzani when we reached the summit of Mount Sinjar. The city of Sinjar and the entire surrounding area were liberated from terrorists.
Hundreds of Peshmerga sacrificed their lives. I witnessed the sacrifices they made to defend the honor and dignity of our Ezidi sisters and brothers and to confront the terrorist enemy. With great pride, we reached Sinjar alongside President Barzani and liberated the entire area. But the crimes committed there have not been forgotten.
Thousands of our Ezidi sisters and brothers were victims of this genocide. Many were kidnapped, and many others were massacred.
Since that day, the KRG has continued working to locate the victims. More than 3,500 of our sisters and brothers have so far been found and rescued. Unfortunately, more than 2,700 others remain missing. We hope that everyone who is able to assist us, will work with us so that, together, we can locate and rescue them.
I would also like to thank the coalition forces for their assistance and support in defeating ISIS and helping us provide greater assistance to our Ezidi sisters and brothers.
Many were displaced from their homes and sought safety in the Kurdistan Region. Others were forced to leave the Kurdistan Region and seek refuge in countries abroad and across Europe. They were welcomed and supported in many places. Yet no place can truly replace one’s home and homeland.
I thank all the countries and non-governmental organizations that assisted us. In particular, I thank the people of Kurdistan, who opened their homes and hearts to their Ezidi sisters and brothers. Regrettably, more than 20,000 displaced Ezidi families still live in camps. Although no one should be considered displaced within their own country, being forced from one’s home inevitably makes life far more difficult. We hope that one day we will be able to help them return with dignity to Sinjar and to all the villages and areas they were forcibly removed from.
We also thank the authorities of the federal government of Iraq for their cooperation in locating mass graves and working with the KRG to return the remains of the victims to their homeland.
However, we still have demands. We call on the federal government to help restore normal conditions in Sinjar so that its people can return home with dignity and so that responsibility for the security, administration, and governance of Sinjar is returned to the people of Sinjar. This is our request to the federal government. The KRG will continue working to rebuild Sinjar and its surrounding areas.
At the time, we made extensive efforts with the United Nations, particularly UNITAD, to establish a criminal court for ISIS and prosecute those who committed these crimes against our Ezidi sisters and brothers. Regrettably, the previous government did not cooperate with these efforts. We hope that such a court will one day be established and that everyone involved in these crimes will be brought to justice.
We call on the international community to provide as much assistance as possible to ease the suffering of the victims of terrorism, particularly our Ezidi sisters and brothers. We have done everything within our capacity, and our efforts will continue.
The KRG has allocated monthly financial stipends to rescued Ezidi survivors, particularly the women who were found and freed. This assistance is intended to alleviate a small part of their suffering. It can never compensate for the immense loss, injustice, and oppression they endured. Nevertheless, we remain ready to provide every form of support within our means. We also granted scholarships to survivors who wished to continue their university education. Many of them have since graduated and are now building their futures.
Once again, I reiterate that we must all work together to ensure that such crimes are never repeated, not against our Ezidi sisters and brothers, not against our Christian sisters and brothers, and not against our Muslim sisters and brothers.
Terrorism recognizes neither religion nor ethnicity. Terrorism is an enemy of humanity.
The cooperation and support of everyone are therefore essential. We must work together to ensure that terrorism never again rises in Iraq. One of the most effective ways to prevent the return of terrorism is to ensure justice, equality, and respect for the rights of every religion and community.
The KRG will continue working with all our friends, particularly at the level of the federal government, to prevent violence from returning to this country. Our people are exhausted. We need peace. We need progress. Our children must be confident that a brighter future awaits them. The fear of killing, arrest, and abduction must no longer have a place in our country. We ask all our friends to join hands with us so that together we can end these threats and crimes.
Once again, I call on the federal government to help implement the Sinjar Agreement so that our people can return with dignity to their cities and villages, their lives and security can be protected, and they can receive compensation for the crimes and injustices committed against them.
Thank you all for attending. Remembering this crime and this genocide must not be limited to a one-day ceremony. It must be a pledge that we will all continue to struggle, work together, and bring an end to this suffering. Together, we must restore a life of dignity for all our Ezidi sisters and brothers and for all the people of Kurdistan and Iraq.
I wish you all peace and success, and may Kurdistan always prosper.