Child Protection Iraq Project #21523

Yezidi Children's Safe Space

by Free Yezidi Foundation

Project Report | Jan 13, 2022
DECEMBER 2021 NEWSLETTER

By Pari Ibrahim | Executive Director

DECEMBER 2021 NEWSLETTER

Dear friends,

Please find below FYF news and the latest developments in the Yezidi community for the month of December.

Lalish temple, near Sheikhan in northern Iraq.

Earlier this month, the Yezidi community celebrated Roja Ida Ezi - one of the holiest days of the year. On Friday, Yezidis celebrated with family and friends after three days of fasting, with many enjoying the festivities at Lalish, the holiest site for the community.

On December 9, the remains of 41 more Yezidis killed in Kocho were finally laid to rest in a burial ceremony in the village. This site was among the worst ISIS massacre against our people in 2014. FYF Country Director Hewan Omer travelled to Kocho with an FYF team of Harikara and a psychologist to support the community in their grief.

Sinjar was also rocked by Turkish airstrikes this month, killing several people and leading to increased fear among Yezidi returnees. On December 7, a prominent Yezidi leader died in an airstrike on the town of Khanasor, where many genocide survivors live. His two children survived the attack. Five days later, another devastating airstrike struck Khanasor, targeting a building used by a local council and often used as a wedding hall for civilians. Strong action needs to be taken to stop Turkey from terrorizing vulnerable Yezidis in their homeland.

FYF Executive Director Pari Ibrahim was hosted by the New Lines Institute in early December for a discussion on "Gendering Geopolitics" and the recent conviction of ISIS members related to the Yezidi genocide. You can watch the full discussion here.

For our friends and allies in the United Kingdom, please ask your MP to sign the motion urging the UK government to recognize ISIS atrocities against Yezidis as genocide.

As the year draws to a close, we reflect on all we have achieved with pride. Despite the ongoing COVID-19 crisis, FYF has continued to serve the most vulnerable and responded to the needs of our community. We distributed emergency aid to IDPs whose tents were lost in a fire, provided trauma treatment to the most vulnerable, compiled ISIS suspect profiles, established a Bakery Training Center, and opened the new FYF Enterprise & Training Center. We also invested in Yezidi youth through an innovative program and continued to operate a much-needed center to combat GBV. You can find more information about our activities on the newly redesigned FYF website.

This year, our programmes have reached even more people in need, but we need your help to continue this important work. For those of you who have already made end-of-year contributions to the Free Yezidi Foundation, we appreciate your generosity immensely. If you have not, please consider making a donation.

FYF children's center beneficiary (prior to COVID-19)

Thank you all, as always, for your steadfast support of the Yezidi community, and have a wonderful holiday season.Sincerely,

Pari Ibrahim
Executive Director
Free Yezidi Foundation

In the News

Kurdistan24 | Yezidi Activists Praise German Conviction of ISIS Member For Genocide, Stressing Legal Significance | Our thoughts are included in this piece on the sentencing of Taha al-Jumailly to life in prison for his role in the Yezidi genocide.

Kurdistan24 | Alleged Turkish Strike Targets Sinjar for Second Time in a Week | FYF thoughts are included in this article on Turkish airstrikes in Sinjar.

Suomen Kuvalehti | Isisin kalifaatti romahti, mutta jesidivahemmiston ahdinko jatkuu - valtaosa elaa yha leireilla, tuhansia kateissa | FYF was quoted in this article in Finland regarding crimes committed against the Yezidi population.

Rudaw | Suspected Turkish warplanes target Shingal twice in five days | Our perspective on Turkey's attacks on Sinjar was also covered by Rudaw.

Rudaw | HDP condemns murder of Yazidi commander in Shingal | FYF is quoted in this article on the murder of a Yezidi military commander in a Turkish airstrike.

Rudaw | Kurdish Leaders Welcome German Court's Sentencing of ISIS Member To Life Imprisonment | Our thoughts are included in this piece on al-Jumailly case.

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Dec 29, 2021
SUPPORT THE FREE YEZIDI FOUNDATION THIS HOLIDAY

By Pari Ibrahim | Executive Director

Dec 23, 2021
NOVEMBER 2021 NEWSLETTER

By Pari Ibrahim | Executive Director

NOVEMBER 2021 NEWSLETTER

Dear friends,

Please find below FYF news and the latest developments in the Yezidi community for the month of November.

FYF presentation alongside UNITAD, ICC, and Iraqi officials at Iraq's Embassy in Netherlands

FYF conducted a series of high-level meetings in the USA and the Netherlands this month.

In early November, we met with the US State Department's Senior Official for Global Women's Issues, highlighting efforts to rescue missing Yezidi women and children, and the dangers posed to Yezidis by ongoing Turkish airstrikes on Sinjar and the threat of another Turkish incursion into northern Syria.

This was followed by a successful trip to the Netherlands, where FYF participated in a special event titled "Collective Action Towards Accountability for ISIL Crimes" co-hosted by UNITAD, the ICC, and the Iraqi Embassy in The Hague. FYF also met with a number of Dutch politicians and officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to discuss support for Yezidi civil society, women's rights, missing Yezidis, and the ongoing crisis on the Belarus-Poland border, where many Yezidis have been stuck while migrating to Europe.

It was important to reconnect with supporters of the Yezidi cause in the Netherlands, and we hope we will continue to work closely together to advance Yezidi rights.

FYF held a series of meetings with Netherlands Members of Parliament and government officials

On 30 November, ISIS member Taha A.J. was convicted of genocide and other charges for his role in the Yezidi Genocide. FYF issued a statement marking the conviction.

"How many ISIS members guilty of genocide, crimes against humanity, slavery, rape, and murder are yet to be prosecuted? We call upon law enforcement authorities, particularly in Europe, to accelerate investigation and indictment of their citizens who participated in these crimes. We also call upon Iraqi authorities to immediately pass legislation criminalizing international atrocities such as genocide and crimes against humanity, so that a specialized court or hybrid tribunal can be established to try the many thousands of ISIS members in Iraqi custody for their crimes against Yezidis. FYF is grateful to Germany for its efforts in prosecuting this case. We hope this will lead to further efforts, in Germany and elsewhere, toward justice and accountability in the aftermath of the Yezidi Genocide."

FYF statement and Taha A.J. in court (photos AFP)

Yezidis are among the many migrants stuck on the borders between Belarus, Poland, and Lithuania, where they have suffered the most horrific conditions and are stranded without shelter, food, or water. FYF has raised this issue with several senior officials and media outlets in recent weeks. With most Yezidis living in IDP camps, our community is particularly vulnerable. FYF calls on the relevant authorities to provide shelter and protection for migrants in Belarus or a safe, dignified, voluntary return for migrants repatriated to Iraq.

FYF staff members also participated in a training event on raising awareness of the Yezidi Survivors' Law, passed by the Iraqi government earlier this year. FYF will continue to work with survivors to ensure they are informed of their rights and can advocate for their needs.

FYF is delighted to see our cafe, Sugar is Sweet, is being used as a venue for celebrations in Khanke. A special congratulations to staff member Gulistan, who celebrated her wedding anniversary at Sugar is Sweet last week.

Our cafe is now operating four days a week, with opening hours modified in line with the community's wishes. If you are in the area and wish to visit Sugar is Sweet and the enterprise center, do not hesitate to contact us. More information about the bakery is available on Instagram here.

Thank you all, as always, for your steadfast support of the Yezidi community.Sincerely,

Pari Ibrahim
Executive Director
Free Yezidi FoundationCONTRIBUTE

In the News

Middle East Eye | Distraught Yazidi Survivors Return From Belarus to Kurdistan | FYF is quoted in this article on Yezidis returning to Iraq from Belarus after a harrowing experience stuck on the border with Poland.

Amnesty International - Germany | Weltweit Erstes Urteil Wegen Volkermordes an Jesid_Innen | FYF is quoted in this piece by Amnesty International - Germany regarding the genocide conviction of Taha A.J.

LSE | Increasing Calls To Find Missing Yazidis | Knox Thames, former State Department advisor for religious minorities in the Near East and South and Central Asia, highlights ongoing efforts to find missing Yezidis, including the work of FYF.

Inkstick | Finding Missing Yezidis | In this op-ed, FYF discusses the challenges behind finding missing Yezidis, and the need for international support.

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