Commemoration

Commemoration

On the third of August of every year, we solemnly remember with profound pain and sorrow one of the most heinous crimes witnessed by Iraq in its modern history—the genocide committed by terrorist organizations against our Yazidi community in Sinjar District and its surrounding areas.

This inhumane crime was perpetrated with utmost brutality through mass killings, enslavement, and forced displacement, in the face of blatant abandonment by the federal government and its catastrophic failure to fulfill its duty to protect innocent citizens, leaving thousands of Yazidi families prey to terrorism.

More than a decade after that tragedy, justice remains absent. To this day, no effective measures have been taken to prevent such a catastrophe from recurring, the perpetrators have not been held accountable for their atrocities, and the survivors have not been guaranteed a dignified and safe return to their homes.

What makes this anniversary even more painful is that the Yazidis continue to endure harsh and tragic humanitarian conditions, as armed groups dominate their areas and impose control over their daily lives, while some political parties—from various components—exploit the suffering of this indigenous community and trade on its just cause instead of earnestly working to secure justice and ensure their full rights as original citizens of this homeland.

What further deepens the wound is that, eleven years later, those responsible for the fall of Mosul—a pivotal event that enabled terrorist groups to carry out the Yazidi genocide—have yet to be held accountable or prosecuted. Likewise, no serious investigation has been launched to date into the failure of the relevant authorities to protect the Yazidis, leaving them exposed to murder, enslavement, and displacement, while the state was completely absent from the scene.

On this painful day, we renew our full humanitarian solidarity with the bereaved Yazidi families and reaffirm that true justice can only be achieved through uncovering the full truth, holding perpetrators accountable, compensating the victims, rebuilding their areas, and ensuring that the conditions which allowed this crime to occur will never be repeated.

May God have mercy on the martyrs of the genocide and heal the wounds that remain unhealed.
Iraq will never be truly free until it delivers justice to all of its citizens without exception.

Iraqi Istklal Assembly
August 3, 2025