UN Commission Calls for Justice and Repatriation for Yazidi Victims Ten Years After ISIL Assault

On August 3, 2014, ISIL launched a brutal assault on the Yazidi people of Sinjar, Iraq, leading to mass executions, forced religious conversions, enslavement, and widespread sexual violence.

The UN Commission of Inquiry on the Syrian Arab Republic has issued a poignant call for justice and accountability ten years after ISIL's devastating attack on the Yazidi community in Sinjar. The Commission's position paper emphasizes the urgent need to address the ongoing plight of Yazidi survivors and victims of ISIL crimes, advocating for their immediate release from unlawful detention in Northeast Syria and repatriation where possible.

Commission Chair Paulo Pinheiro highlighted the continuing tragedy faced by Yazidis, stressing that individuals detained in Northeast Syria, including those held solely due to perceived affiliations with ISIL, should be repatriated and prosecuted for international crimes. Pinheiro emphasized that survivors should be at the forefront of these efforts.

On August 3, 2014, ISIL launched a brutal assault on the Yazidi people of Sinjar, Iraq, leading to mass executions, forced religious conversions, enslavement, and widespread sexual violence. Thousands of Yazidis were forcibly transferred to Syria, where they endured severe abuse, including sexual slavery and forced combat training.

The Commission's report documents systematic discrimination against Yazidi women and girls by ISIL, who were subjected to enslavement, torture, forced marriages, and public flogging. Despite ISIL's defeat in March 2019, tens of thousands, including enslaved Yazidis, remain detained in camps like Al Hawl and Rawj in Northeast Syria, where they endure dehumanizing conditions.

Commissioner Hanny Megally urged the Global Coalition Against ISIL and other states to enhance human rights-compliant efforts to identify and release Yazidi individuals from these camps. Megally called for providing Yazidis with options for return to Iraq, family reunification, or settlement in third countries, emphasizing the need for meaningful choices.

The international community is also called upon to fund comprehensive humanitarian responses, including gender- and age-sensitive health, education, shelter, livelihoods, psychosocial support, and reintegration programs for the Yazidi community.

Commissioner Lynn Welchman condemned the continued detention of Yazidi survivors alongside their persecutors, urging the international community to focus on supporting their recovery and pursuit of justice rather than perpetuating their suffering.