International Conference in Duhok Highlights KRG Support for Yezidis

On Tuesday, April 29, 2025, under the patronage of Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Prime Minister Masrour Barzani, the Third International Scientific Conference titled “Ezidis:

News
International Conference in Duhok Highlights KRG Support for Yezidis
Wladimir van Wilgenburg
April 30, 2025

On Tuesday, April 29, 2025, under the patronage of Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Prime Minister Masrour Barzani, the Third International Scientific Conference titled “Ezidis: Religion, Heritage, History, and Geography” commenced in Duhok.


The event was organized by the Lalish Cultural and Social Center and the University of Duhok.

The two-day event, running from April 29 to 30, aims to promote interfaith and intercultural dialogue, and includes speakers and guests from 14 countries, including academics, faith leaders, senior officials, and Yezidi activists.

According to the organizers the conference seeks to establish a comprehensive academic platform to deepen understanding of Yezidi history and culture by examining their historical, religious, and social roles throughout the centuries.

Moreover, the event aims to offer new perspectives on the challenges faced by the Yezidi community while celebrating their rich heritage and enduring contributions to the cultural fabric of the Kurdistan Region.

Kurdish psychologist Jan Ilhan Kizilhan, who was awarded the Federal Cross of Merit by Germany’s Minister of Foreign Affairs in March, participated in the event, underlining that the international conference on the situation of the Yezidis attracted strong interest.

“[This is] a clear sign of the urgent need to integrate the Yezidis as an integral part of the country’s social and political fabric,” he said. “The genocide against the Yezidis in 2014 not only caused immense suffering, but also reawakened deep historical traumas. Collective remembrance of past atrocities was triggered, yet a societal process of acknowledgment and healing has still not taken place.

“This lack of recognition and processing led to a rupture within both the Yezidi and Kurdish communities, a break that remains unresolved to this day. The genocide continues to be an unspoken wound that affects the stability and cohesion of the affected groups on multiple levels,” he added.

 

On August 3, 2014, ISIS militants overran the predominantly Yezidi town of Sinjar – located some 130 kilometers to the west of Mosul in north of Iraq – carrying out a genocide against the community, and abduciting thousands of women and children, many of whom are still missing.


"What the ISIS terrorist organization committed in 2014 remains a dark mark in the history of humanity,” KRG Minister of Interior Reber Ahmed said at the event.

“At the same time, we thank our friends and those countries that have recognized the crimes against the Yezidis as genocide. Thousands of innocent Yezidis were killed, women and children were kidnapped and subjected to great suffering, and many villages were destroyed. The temples, some of which date back hundreds of years, were systematically targeted.”

 

“In the early hours of the ISIS attack on Sinjar, the KRG responded to the cries of the Yezidis. The peshmerga forces heroically fought to defend and liberate Sinjar and the surrounding areas. Many brave peshmerga sacrificed their lives for the sacred land of Sinjar, and their sacrifices remain in the hearts of all,” Minister Ahmed added.

He also added that Yezidis “are not just a distinct part of Kurdish identity, but they are part of a broader picture of human civilization. Their existence enriches the cultural tapestry and spirit of Kurdistan.”

In October 2020, the Iraqi Federal Government and the KRG signed the Sinjar Agreement with support of the UN aimed at stabilizing the situation in Sinjar and allowing the return of internally displaced persons that fled the genocide. However, the agreement has not been implemented ​​yet due to opposition from local militias.


“The agreement aims to remove militias and unauthorized armed groups and restore legal authority and security to the region. This agreement forms a framework for the dignified and voluntary return of displaced Yezidis to their homes and lives,” Minister Ahmed said.

He called on the Iraqi government to also take responsibility and implement the agreement so that “we can see Sinjar governed by a legitimate local authority and protected by lawful forces.”

Vian Dakhil, a prominent Yezidi Iraqi member of Parliament and Kurdistan Democratic Party spokesperson, underlined that to this day, the “Iraqi government has yet to officially recognize the Yezidi genocide.”

She also added that a general amnesty that was adopted on January 21, 2025, in Iraq “could mean those who committed atrocities against Yezidi people will also be released.”


Kizilhan added that the conference is an important step toward addressing the Yezidi Genocide in all its dimensions – social, cultural, political, religious, and psychological. “Only through a comprehensive and inclusive approach can Yezidis hope for a sustainable future in their ancestral homeland of Sinjar. A healthy and resilient community does not emerge from forgetting, but from consciously working through the trauma.

 

“The Yezidis cannot undertake this monumental task alone. They urgently need coordinated, long-term, and genuine support from government institutions – particularly from Baghdad and Erbil. Only a society that allows and supports healing can find the strength to grow beyond trauma and build a shared future.”


X
HOME NEWS POLITICS ECONOMY CULTURE OPINION MAGAZINE ABOUT
Copyright ©2023 KurdistanChronicle.com. All rights reserved