On the 7th anniversary of the genocide against the people of Shingal and its surrounding areas, we pay tribute to our Yezidi sisters and brothers who fell victim to the heinous crimes. They will never be forgotten. We share their families’ grief and reiterate our full support for them.

Our Yezidi sisters and brothers faced unimaginable cruelty at the hands of ISIS terrorists seven years ago. They rightly expect all of us to help them resolve their difficulties, heal their wounds and live in peace and harmony.

Our fellow Yezidi citizens and all communities in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region must have better opportunities to take part in the political process and governance of the country; in administration and power sharing and all other aspects of social life. All efforts must be exerted to rescue the kidnapped Yezidis and to uncover the fate of all others who are still missing. Peace, stability and prosperity must be restored in their areas to ensure their safe and honorable return to their homes, and most importantly, all of us must cooperate to restore their trust.

The Yezidis have strongly contributed to peaceful coexistence, tolerance and mutual respect among all communities. They have endured unthinkable tragedies in their past, but they have never lost faith in their religion. They will overcome their current hardships and heal their wounds. It is all our duty to support them and press for an international recognition of the Shingal genocide.

Therefore, we welcome and commend the recent steps taken by Iraq and the parliaments of Belgium, the Netherlands and other countries that have recognized the Yezidi genocide. We will continue to cooperate and coordinate with the United Nations, the UNITAD and all other agencies of the international community with regards to the Yezidi question. We will continue to support the efforts to bring ISIS perpetrators to justice and provide reparations to the victims.

We reiterate our full support for Shingal to turn into a governorate and we will continue to cooperate with Iraq’s Federal Government on this important subject. We urge the Iraqi government to compensate the Yezidi victims and their families in accordance with the Yezidi Rescue Bill, which was passed by the parliament recently.

On this day, we salut the victims and pay tribute to the brave Peshmerga who gave their life to liberate Shingal and the surrounding areas, under the direct leadership of President Barzani.

Nechirvan Barzani
The President of the Kurdistan Region.