Yazidis – CounterVortex https://countervortex.org Resisting Humanity's Downward Spiral Sat, 28 Dec 2024 23:15:44 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.0.1 https://countervortex.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/newsflash_logo-1-300x300.png Yazidis – CounterVortex https://countervortex.org 32 32 Recognition grows for Yazidi genocide https://countervortex.org/blog/recognition-grows-for-yazidi-genocide/ https://countervortex.org/blog/recognition-grows-for-yazidi-genocide/#respond Sat, 28 Dec 2024 19:16:44 +0000 https://countervortex.org/?post_type=blog&p=23937 recognized the atrocities committed by the Islamic State (ISIS) against Iraq's Yazidi community as constituting genocide. The motion condemns the systematic expulsion, rape and murder of Yazidis, and the destruction of their cultural sites. The majority of the Swiss National Council voted in favor of the bill, with 105 lawmakers supporting recognition of the genocide and 61 opposing it. The parliament's statement emphasized the need for reparations and justice for survivors. Switzerland joins several other countries and bodies, including the European Parliament and a UN Commission of Inquiry, in recognizing the ISIS crimes against Yazidis as genocide. (Photo: Wikimedia Commons)]]> The Swiss parliament has officially recognized the atrocities committed by the Islamic State (ISIS) against Iraq’s Yazidi community as constituting genocide. The motion, passed on Dec. 24, condemns the systematic expulsion, rape and murder of Yazidis, and the destruction of their cultural sites. The majority of the Swiss National Council voted in favor of the bill, with 105 lawmakers supporting recognition of the genocide and 61 opposing it. The parliament’s statement emphasized the need for international reparations and justice for survivors.

The ISIS attack on the Yazidi heartland of Shingal in August 2014 resulted in an estimated 5,000 deaths and the abduction of 6,417 women and children, who were forced into sexual slavery and labor. The United Nations Investigative Team to Promote Accountability for Crimes Committed by Da’esh/ISIL (UNITAD) has classified the attack as clear evidence of genocidal intent.

Switzerland joins several other countries and bodies, including the European Parliament and a United Nations Commission of Inquiry, in recognizing the ISIS crimes against Yazidis as genocide. The National Assembly of Armenia, the Australian parliament, the Canadian parliament, the United States House of Representatives and the United Kingdom are all considering motions on the Yazidi genocide.

The International Commission on Missing Persons (ICMP) has launched an initiatives to reunite abducted Yazidis with their families. The Kurdistan Regional Government and the Iraqi federal government pledged to work together to return displaced Yazidis to their homes in Shingal (also rendered Sinjar) under the 2020 Sinjar Agreement.

On Dec. 11, a Dutch court convicted an ISIS follower, Hasna A. for crimes against a Yazidi woman. Hasna A. was charged with slavery, membership in a terrorist organization, promoting terrorist crimes, and endangering her minor son. A week later she was sentencedto 10 years in prison. There have been similar convictions in Germany.

The Yazidi genocide
The Yazidis are a religious minority, who primarily live in the Shingal area of Iraq. In the summer of 2014, the region was invaded by ISIS, who proceeded to separate and round up Yazid men and boys, executing the men and older boys who refused to convert to Islam. Since Shingal was liberated by Kurdish forces in November 2015, a total of 81 mass graves have been found in the area.

More than 6,000 women and children were taken captive by ISIS and forced into sex slavery. According to Nadia’s Initiative: “Sexual violence was strategically used as a weapon of war and codified in ISIS manuals that explained how to traffic Yazidi women. ISIS believed that violating women would destroy the community from within.” Nearly 2,800 women and children are still missing.

Pursuit of justice
Iraq passed the Yazidi Survivors Law in March 2021, which established a program to ensure survivors’ right to reparations. However, human rights organizations have asserted that the program is not being implemented seriously. Human Rights Watch has said that “several survivors have reported harassment and stigmatization while filing criminal complaints with the judiciary.” To date, no ISIS members have been tried by the Iraqi courts for their role in the sexual violence or genocide. The International Criminal Court faces jurisdictional constraints, meaning that Yazidi people have been seeking redress in national courts through the principle of universal jurisdiction.

From JURIST, JURIST, Dec. 19. Used with permission.

Photo: Istanbul march commemorating second anniversary of Yazidi Genocide, August 2016. Credit: VOA via Wikimedia Commons

]]> https://countervortex.org/blog/recognition-grows-for-yazidi-genocide/feed/ 0 The Yezidis, ‘esotericism’ and the global struggle https://countervortex.org/blog/the-yezidis-esotericism-and-the-global-struggle/ https://countervortex.org/blog/the-yezidis-esotericism-and-the-global-struggle/#respond Sun, 01 Jan 2023 00:01:41 +0000 https://countervortex.org/?post_type=blog&p=22378 Episode 156 of the CounterVortex podcast, Bill Weinberg discusses Peter Lamborn Wilson's last book, Peacock Angel: The Esoteric Tradition of the Yezidis. One of the persecuted minorities of Iraq, the Yezidis are related to the indigenous Gnostics of the Middle East such as the Mandeans. But Wilson interprets the "esoteric" tradition of the Yezidis as an antinomian form of Adawiyya sufism with roots in pre-Islamic "paganism." Melek Taus, the Peacock Angel, the divine being revered by the Yezidis as Lord of This World, is foremost among a pantheon that ultimately traces back to the Indo-European gods. Wilson conceives this as a conscious resistance to authoritarianism, orthodoxy and monotheism—which has won the Yezidis harsh persecution over the centuries. They were targeted for genocide along with the Armenians by Ottoman authorities in World War I—and more recently at the hands of ISIS. They are still fighting for cultural survival and facing the threat of extinction today. Weinberg elaborates on the paradox of militant mysticism and what it means for the contemporary world, with examples of "heretical" Gnostic sects from the Balkan labyrinth. Listen on SoundCloud or via Patreon. (Photo via Kurdistan Source)]]> In Episode 156 of the CounterVortex podcast, Bill Weinberg discusses Peter Lamborn Wilson‘s last book, Peacock Angel: The Esoteric Tradition of the Yezidis. One of the persecuted minorities of Iraq, the Yezidis are related to the indigenous Gnostics of the Middle East such as the Mandeans. But Wilson interprets the “esoteric” tradition of the Yezidis as an antinomian form of Adawiyya sufism with roots in pre-Islamic “paganism.” Melek Taus, the Peacock Angel, the divine being revered by the Yezidis as Lord of This World, is foremost among a pantheon that ultimately traces back to the Indo-European gods. Wilson conceives this as a conscious resistance to authoritarianism, orthodoxy and monotheism—which has won the Yezidis harsh persecution over the centuries. They were targeted for genocide along with the Armenians by Ottoman authorities in World War I—and more recently at the hands of ISIS. They are still fighting for cultural survival and facing the threat of extinction today. Weinberg elaborates on the paradox of militant mysticism and what it means for the contemporary world, with examples of “heretical” Gnostic sects from the Balkan labyrinth. Listen on SoundCloud or via Patreon.

Production by Chris Rywalt

Other books discussed: The Ecology of Freedom by Murray Bookchin (available from AK Press); Meetings with Remarkable Men by GI Gurdjieff (Gurdjieff Books & Music)

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Photo via Kurdistan Source

]]> https://countervortex.org/blog/the-yezidis-esotericism-and-the-global-struggle/feed/ 0 Podcast: Rojava and Ezidikhan in the Great Game https://countervortex.org/blog/podcast-rojava-and-ezidikhan-in-the-great-game/ https://countervortex.org/blog/podcast-rojava-and-ezidikhan-in-the-great-game/#respond Sun, 12 Jun 2022 01:25:16 +0000 https://countervortex.org/?post_type=blog&p=21880 Episode 127 of the CounterVortex podcast, Bill Weinberg notes that the Kurdish-controlled Syrian city of Kobani, which became a global icon of resistance to ISIS in 2014, is now under threat of Turkish aggression. The Syrian Kurds were betrayed in 2019, when their autonomous zone of Rojava was greatly reduced by Turkey's first thrust into their territory. Erdogan is now threatening to extinguish it altogether, and incorporate all of Rojava into his "security zone." There is growing speculation that the US could "green light" this aggression in exchange for Turkey dropping its objections to Sweden and Finland joining NATO. Meanwhile, the Yazidis of northern Iraq, who were subjected to genocide at the hands of ISIS in 2014, now face extermination of their hard-won autonomous zone of Ezidikhan at the hands of Baghdad's military—acting under pressure from Turkey. Great Power meddling in Syrian and Iraqi Kurdistan alike is pitting the peoples of the region against each other, portending a disastrous Arab-Kurdish ethnic war. How can activists in the West help break this trajectory? Listen on SoundCloud or via Patreon. (Photo: Rojava Solidarity NYC)]]> In Episode 127 of the CounterVortex podcast, Bill Weinberg notes that the Kurdish-controlled Syrian city of Kobani, which became a global icon of resistance to ISIS in 2014, is now under threat of Turkish aggression. The Syrian Kurds were betrayed in 2019, when their autonomous zone of Rojava was greatly reduced by Turkey’s first thrust into their territory. Erdogan is now threatening to extinguish it altogether, and incorporate all of Rojava into his “security zone.” There is growing speculation that the US could “green light” this aggression in exchange for Turkey dropping its objections to Sweden and Finland joining NATO. Meanwhile, the Yazidis of northern Iraq, who were subjected to genocide and slavery at the hands of ISIS in 2014, are facing extermination of their hard-won autonomous zone Ezidikhan at the hands of Baghdad’s military—acting under pressure from Turkey. Great Power meddling in Syrian and Iraqi Kurdistan alike is pitting the peoples of the region against each other, portending a potentially disastrous Arab-Kurdish ethnic war. How can activists in the West help break this trajectory? Listen on SoundCloud or via Patreon.

Books discussed: A Road Unforeseen: Women Fight the Islamic State by Meredith Tax; The Impossible Revolution: Making Sense of the Syrian Tragedy by Yassin al-Haj Saleh; Indefensible: Democracy, Counterrevolution, and the Rhetoric of Anti-Imperialism by Rohini Hensman

Production by Chris Rywalt

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Photo: Rojava Solidarity NYC

]]> https://countervortex.org/blog/podcast-rojava-and-ezidikhan-in-the-great-game/feed/ 0 Iraq: thousands displaced in new battle for Sinjar https://countervortex.org/blog/iraq-thousands-displaced-in-new-battle-for-sinjar/ https://countervortex.org/blog/iraq-thousands-displaced-in-new-battle-for-sinjar/#respond Wed, 11 May 2022 19:10:04 +0000 https://countervortex.org/?post_type=blog&p=21778 Sinjar. Fighting erupted when the military launched an operation to clear the area of the Sinjar Resistance Units (YBS), a militia with ties to the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK). Many of those displaced are Yazidis who survived the 2014 Islamic State genocide against the ethnicity. They are now distributed in camps across Iraq's Kurdish region. In 2020, Baghdad and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) signed a pact to restore their joint control to the autonomous Yazidi enclave, known as Ezidikhan. The deal has not been implemented until now, despite growing pressure from Turkey, which has carried out intermittent air-strikes on the Sinjar area. (Photo: A poster commemorating a slain YBS fighter on a bombed-out building in Sinjar. Credit: TNH)]]> Clashes between the Iraqi military and a local Yazidi militia have forced more than 3,000 people to flee the northern town of Sinjar. Fighting erupted May 1, when the military launched an operation to clear the area of the Sinjar Resistance Units (YBS), a militia with ties to the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK). Many of those displaced are Yazidis who survived the 2014 Islamic State genocide against the ethnicity. They are now distributed in camps across Iraq’s Kurdish region. In 2020, Baghdad and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) signed a pact to restore their joint control to the autonomous Yazidi enclave, known as Ezidikhan. The deal has not been implemented until now, despite growing pressure from Turkey, which has carried out intermittent air-strikes on the Sinjar area. (WaPo, AP, TNH)

Photo: A poster commemorating a slain YBS fighter on a bombed-out building in Sinjar. Credit: TNH

]]> https://countervortex.org/blog/iraq-thousands-displaced-in-new-battle-for-sinjar/feed/ 0 UN team delivers report on ISIS atrocities in Iraq https://countervortex.org/blog/un-team-delivers-report-on-isis-atrocities-in-iraq/ https://countervortex.org/blog/un-team-delivers-report-on-isis-atrocities-in-iraq/#comments Thu, 09 Dec 2021 03:55:32 +0000 https://countervortex.org/?post_type=blog&p=21266 delivered its report to the Security Council, accusing Islamic State (ISIS) actors of committing war crimes and crimes against humanity. The UN Investigative Team to Promote Accountability for Crimes Committed by Da'esh/Islamic State in Iraq & the Levant (UNITAD), uncovered evidence of massacres including the deaths of at least 1,000 Shi'ite prisoners at a prison in Mosul in June 2014. The executions had been planned in detail by senior ISIS members. The team also carried out an analysis of battlefield evidence that showed ISIS developed and deployed chemical weapons as part of a long-term strategic plan. The team identified more than 3,000 victims of ISIS chemical attacks to date. (Photo: WikiMedia via Jurist)]]> The head of the United Nations team investigating Islamic State crimes in Iraq on Dec. 2 delivered his report to the Security Council, accusing Islamic State (ISIS) actors of committing war crimes and crimes against humanity. Christian Ritscher, special adviser and head of the UN Investigative Team to Promote Accountability for Crimes Committed by Da’esh/Islamic State in Iraq & the Levant (UNITAD), reported that his team had uncovered evidence of the deaths of at least 1,000 Shi’ite prisoners at a prison in Mosul in June 2014. The executions had been planned in detail by senior ISIS members. The team also carried out an analysis of battlefield evidence that showed ISIS developed and deployed chemical weapons as part of a long-term strategic plan. The team identified more than 3,000 victims of ISIS chemical attacks to date.

Investigations also revealed the inner workings of the Bayt al-Mal, or “House of Money,” the central ISIS treasury in charge of collecting, storing, and managing the group’s wealth. They have identified senior ISIS members who acted as key financiers, who acquired the extremist group’s funding through pillage, theft, and the imposition of an exploitative tax system upon those subject to ISIS rule. Ritscher also called attention to the conviction in Germany of an ISIS member for the crime of genocide.

Saying that “we now stand at a turning point,” Ritscher emphasized that the international community has “the chance, collectively, to make such prosecutions the norm, not a celebrated exception.” Members of the Security Council praised UNITAD’s work, but also pointed out the need for the evidence that has been gathered to make its way into judicial proceedings via cooperation with Iraqi authorities.

For his part, the representative from Iraq, Mohammed Hussein Bahr Aluloom, said that his government stands ready to prosecute ISIS members for their crimes. He stated that the government has been strengthening the capacity of its judicial system and is prepared to assess the evidence as soon as UNITAD provides it.

From Jurist, Dec. 4. Used with permission.

See our last report on the UNITAD investigation.

Note: “Daesh” is the popular Arabic pejorative for the “Islamic State.”

Photo: WikiMedia via Jurist

]]> https://countervortex.org/blog/un-team-delivers-report-on-isis-atrocities-in-iraq/feed/ 1 French firm charged with abetting ISIS atrocities https://countervortex.org/blog/french-firm-charged-with-abetting-isis-atrocities/ https://countervortex.org/blog/french-firm-charged-with-abetting-isis-atrocities/#comments Thu, 16 Sep 2021 00:58:46 +0000 https://countervortex.org/?post_type=blog&p=20946 overturned a lower-court decision to dismiss charges of complicity in crimes against humanity by cement company LaFarge, which is accused of paying ISIS and other militant groups at least 13 million euros to keep its factory in northern Syria running. The ruling by the Court of Cassation marks a major setback for Lafarge, which contested its responsibility for acts committed with funds it provided to the extremists. The Paris Court of Appeal accepted the company's argument that the payments were not aimed at abetting ISIS atrocities. But the Cassation Court found that "one can be complicit in crimes against humanity even if one doesn't have the intention of being associated with the crimes committed. Knowingly paying several million dollars to an organization whose sole purpose was exclusively criminal suffices to constitute complicity, regardless of whether the party concerned was acting to pursue a commercial activity." (Photo via MEMO)]]> France’s highest court on Sept. 7 overturned a lower-court decision to dismiss charges of complicity in crimes against humanity by cement company LaFarge, which is accused of paying ISIS and other militant groups at least 13 million euros to keep its factory in northern Syria running. The ruling by the Court of Cassation marks a major setback for Lafarge, which contested its responsibility for acts committed with funds it provided to the extremists.

Lafarge, which merged in 2015 with Swiss group Holcim, acknowledged that its Syrian subsidiary paid middlemen to negotiate with armed groups to allow movement of staff and goods within the war zone. The Paris Court of Appeal in 2019 dismissed the charges related to crimes against humanity, accpeting the company’s argument that the payments were not aimed at abetting ISIS atrocities. It did allow prosecution to proceed on three other charges—financing terrorism, violating an EU embargo. and endangering the lives of others. Eleven former employees of Lafarge Cement Syria challenged the decision at the Court of Cassation.

But the Cassation Court rejected the lower court’s finding on complicity, finding that “one can be complicit in crimes against humanity even if one doesn’t have the intention of being associated with the crimes committed.”

“Knowingly paying several million dollars to an organization whose sole purpose was exclusively criminal suffices to constitute complicity, regardless of whether the party concerned was acting to pursue a commercial activity,” the ruling added. (AFP)

Photo via MEMO

]]> https://countervortex.org/blog/french-firm-charged-with-abetting-isis-atrocities/feed/ 4 Podcast: Afghanistan and the politics of withdrawal https://countervortex.org/blog/podcast-afghanistan-and-the-politics-of-withdrawal/ https://countervortex.org/blog/podcast-afghanistan-and-the-politics-of-withdrawal/#comments Thu, 29 Jul 2021 22:26:51 +0000 https://countervortex.org/?post_type=blog&p=20798 Episode 82 of the CounterVortex podcast, Bill Weinberg calls out the Orwellian pronouncements from media and politicians that Biden is "ending the war" in Afghanistan—as the war is actually escalating. This is the same imperial narcissism we heard with the much-hyped US "withdrawal" from Afghanistan in 2014, and the US "withdrawal" from Iraq in 2011. In both cases, the war went on—and actually got worse, with the emergence of ISIS and the genocide of the Yazidis. Weinberg recalls with grim vindication that he similarly called out the glib optimism about a  withdrawal from Iraq in CounterVortex commentaries during the occupation. Meanwhile, Hazara women—who face the threat of genocide if the Taliban re-take power—are arming to resist the Taliban advance. The critical task now is to loan what solidarity and visibility we can to such efforts—not to engage in hubristic crowing about the "end of the war." Listen on SoundCloud or via Patreon. (Map: Perry-Castañeda Library)]]> In Episode 82 of the CounterVortex podcast, Bill Weinberg calls out the Orwellian pronouncements from media and politicians that Biden is “ending the war” in Afghanistan—as the war is actually escalating. This is the same imperial narcissism we heard with the much-hyped US “withdrawal” from Afghanistan in 2014, and the US  “withdrawal” from Iraq in 2011. In both cases, the war went on—and actually got worse, with the emergence of ISIS and the genocide of the Yazidis. Weinberg recalls with grim vindication that he similarly called out the glib optimism about a  withdrawal from Iraq in CounterVortex commentaries during the occupation 15 years ago. Meanwhile, Hazara women—who face the threat of genocide if the Taliban re-take power—are arming to resist the Taliban advance. The critical task now is to loan what solidarity and visibility we can to such efforts—not to engage in hubristic crowing about the “end of the war.” Listen on SoundCloud or via Patreon.

Production by Chris Rywalt

We ask listeners to donate just $1 per weekly podcast via Patreon. We now have 26 subscribers. If you appreciate our work, please become Number 27!

Map: Perry-Castañeda Library

]]> https://countervortex.org/blog/podcast-afghanistan-and-the-politics-of-withdrawal/feed/ 1 ‘Clear and convincing’ evidence of Yazidi genocide https://countervortex.org/blog/clear-and-convincing-evidence-of-yazidi-genocide/ https://countervortex.org/blog/clear-and-convincing-evidence-of-yazidi-genocide/#respond Sun, 16 May 2021 23:37:38 +0000 https://countervortex.org/?post_type=blog&p=20529 reported to the UN Security Council that the team has established "clear and convincing" evidence of genocide against the Yazidi religious minority. The UN Investigative Team to Promote Accountability for Crimes Committed by Da'esh/ISIL (UNITAD) has finalized preliminary case briefs on two key priorities: the attacks against the Yazidi community in the Sinjar region of Iraq starting in June 2014, and the mass killing that month of predominantly Shia unarmed cadets and military personnel at Iraq's Tikrit Air Academy. (Photo via Ezidikhan Public Information Bureau)]]> The head of a UN team investigating the atrocities by the Islamic State in Iraq & the Levant (ISIL), Special Advisor Karim Khan, reported to the UN Security Council May 10 that the team has established “clear and convincing” evidence of genocide against the Yazidi religious minority. The UN Investigative Team to Promote Accountability for Crimes Committed by Da’esh/ISIL (UNITAD) has finalized preliminary case briefs on two key priorities: the attacks against the Yazidi community in the Sinjar region of Iraq starting in June 2014, and the mass killing that month of predominantly Shia unarmed cadets and military personnel at Iraq’s Tikrit Air Academy.

In his sixth and final preliminary report, Khan noted that the ISIL’s crimes, especially its ultimatum to convert or die, have “shocked the conscience of humanity.” The evidence collected by UNITAD confirms crimes of murder, rape, torture, enslavement, sexual slavery, and persecution against the Yazidis.

With respect to the mass executions at Tikrit Air Academy, Khan reported that UNITAD has identified video evidence of direct and public incitement to commit genocide against Shia Muslims. The investigations also uncovered the ISIL’s “demonstrated capacity” to manufacture and deploy chemical and biological weapons, especially by weaponizing chlorine from water treatment plants and testing biological agents on prisoners.

Khan emphasized that it is not sufficient to only document ISIL’s crimes, but also to support legislation for the prosecution of its members:

Legislation of course is needed to ensure that Iraq has the legal architecture in place to prosecute this haemorrhage of the human soul: not as common crimes of terrorism, heinous though they are, but as acts of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes.

From Jurist, May 11. Used with permission.

Note: “Daesh” is the popular Arabic pejorative for the “Islamic State.”

Photo via Ezidikhan Public Information Bureau

]]> https://countervortex.org/blog/clear-and-convincing-evidence-of-yazidi-genocide/feed/ 0 Yazidis betrayed in Kurdish-Baghdad deal https://countervortex.org/blog/yazidis-betrayed-in-kurdish-baghdad-deal/ https://countervortex.org/blog/yazidis-betrayed-in-kurdish-baghdad-deal/#comments Sat, 17 Oct 2020 03:22:42 +0000 https://countervortex.org/?post_type=blog&p=19934 KRG) on the political future of northern Iraq, saying they were not consulted. Ezidikhan Prime Minister Barjis Soso Khalaf said in a statement: "Without the consent of the Yezidi people of Ezidikhan, the Baghdad-Erbil deal is illegitimate and illegal. It tramples upon the right of Yezidis to govern themselves as they see fit." The pact between Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al–Kadhimi and the KRG administration at Erbil calls for joint exploitation of the region's oil resources, ending years of conflict over the question. But Ezidikhan authorities see their exclusion from the talks as a threat to their hard-won autonomy. "Yezidis were not even invited to the table to discuss the future of their own homeland!" said the statement. It also criticized the US for acquiescing in the deal: "The United States shares complicity in this colonial-style act that wantonly tramples upon Iraqi Yezidis' right to self-determination and self-government, once again sacrificing its vaunted democratic principles on the altar of realpolitik." (Map: Ezidikhan.net)]]> The leadership of Ezidikhan, the Yazidi autonomous territory, are protesting a deal reached between Baghdad and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) on the political future of northern Iraq, saying they were not consulted. Ezidikhan Prime Minister Barjis Soso Khalaf said in a statement: “Without the consent of the Yezidi people of Ezidikhan, the Baghdad-Erbil deal is illegitimate and illegal. It tramples upon the right of Yezidis to govern themselves as they see fit.” The statement noted that the UN special representative for Iraq, Jeanie Hennis-Plasschaert, had called for Ezidikhan authorities to be consulted in any deal over the region’s status. The Oct. 9 pact between Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al–Kadhimi and the KRG administration at Erbil calls for creation of a jointly controlled company to exploit the region’s oil resources, ending years of conflict over the question.

But Ezidikhan authorities see their exclusion from the talks as a threat to their hard-won autonomy. “Yezidis were not even invited to the table to discuss the future of their own homeland!” said the statement. It also criticized the US for acquiescing in the deal: “The United States shares complicity in this colonial-style act that wantonly tramples upon Iraqi Yezidis’ right to self-determination and self-government, once again sacrificing its vaunted democratic principles on the altar of realpolitik.”

Map: Ezidikhan.net
]]> https://countervortex.org/blog/yazidis-betrayed-in-kurdish-baghdad-deal/feed/ 1 Yazidis call Middle East indigenous alliance https://countervortex.org/blog/yazidis-call-middle-east-indigenous-alliance/ https://countervortex.org/blog/yazidis-call-middle-east-indigenous-alliance/#respond Tue, 22 Sep 2020 01:12:26 +0000 https://countervortex.org/?post_type=blog&p=19854 Ezidikhan in northern Iraq, representatives of tribal peoples and ethnic minorities from across the Middle East and North Africa agreed on a framework for a region-wide alliance of stateless nations struggling for self-determination and autonomy. The meeting at the Ezidikhan seat of Shingal was attended by representatives of the Mandaeans and Zoroastrians as well as Yazidis. Messages of support were also sent by the Shabaks of Iraq, Ahwazi Arabs of Iran, Berbers of Libya, and Palestinian Bedouins residing in the state of Israel. Delegates announced formation of a Confederation of Indigenous Nations of the Middle East open to all stateless peoples of the region. The Confederation pledges to seek greater recognition for stateless peoples of the Middle East at the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, and to seek redress for persecution, exclusion and genocide. (Photo of Yazidi delegates: Ezidikhan.net)]]> In a meeting hosted by the Yazidi autonomous territory of Ezidikhan in northern Iraq last month, representatives of tribal peoples and ethnic minorities from across the Middle East and North Africa agreed on a framework for a region-wide alliance of stateless nations struggling for self-determination and autonomy. The meeting at the Ezidikhan seat of Shingal (also rendered Sinjar) was attended by representatives of the Mandaeans and Zoroastrians as well as Yazidis. Messages of support were also sent by the Shabaks of Iraq, Ahwazi Arabs of Iran, Berbers of Libya, and Palestinian Bedouins residing in the state of Israel. Delegates announced formation of a Confederation of Indigenous Nations of the Middle East open to all stateless peoples of the region. “We are are expecting even more indigenous nations to sign on,” said Ezidikhan Minister of Justice Nallein Sowilo. She noted that the Kawliya and Yarsanis, whose territory is divided between Iraq and Iran, have also expressed interest in joining. “We are all natural allies. That is why we call this an alliance of First Peoples. We represent the Middle East’s ancient heritage of ethnic and religious diversity.”

“Ezidikhan is firmly committed to serve justice to all victims of genocide, whether they are Yezidis or indigenous minorities of whatever nation,” Sowilo declared at the conclusion of the conference. “This idea came to me on the very day of the ISIS attack on Ezidikhan on Aug. 3, 2014.” For the following 16 months that ISIS occupied Ezidikhan, Yazidis were subject to genocide and slavery.

Under the new Shingal Treaty, the Confederation pledges to seek greater recognition for stateless peoples of the Middle East at the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues. “Foremost in everyone’s mind was how to obtain justice for wrongs including the genocidal policies of nation states,” said Sowilo. “On behalf of this Confederation, Ezidikhan will begin to raise these issues at international forums, including the United Nations.”

Condensed from Ezidikhan.net, Sept. 16

Photo of Yazidi delegates: Ezidikhan.net

]]> https://countervortex.org/blog/yazidis-call-middle-east-indigenous-alliance/feed/ 0