#ezidigenocide

An article published by KDC about an upcoming memorial ceremony in Tbilisi repeatedly refers to the 2014 Ezidi Genocide as the “Yazidi Kurdish genocide.” It also describes Sinjar as the homeland of “Yazidi Kurds” and presents the genocide as part of “modern Kurdish history.”

This language is inaccurate, politically loaded and deeply disrespectful to the people being commemorated.

ISIS targeted Ezidis because they were Ezidis. The victims were murdered, abducted, forcibly converted and subjected to sexual violence because of their Ezidi identity and faith. The internationally recognised name is the Ezidi Genocide, not the “Yazidi Kurdish genocide.”

Organising a memorial does not give any association the right to redefine the victims or absorb their suffering into a Kurdish nationalist narrative. Ezidis cannot be honoured while their identity is simultaneously rewritten.

We therefore call on KDC to correct the headline and all similar wording in the article. The text should refer clearly to the Ezidi Genocide, the Ezidi people and Sinjar as an ancestral homeland of Ezidis.

We also ask KDC and the organisations involved to refrain from using similar propagandistic language in relation to Ezidis in the future.

A fire broke out at the Sheikhan displacement camp in Duhok province on 21 July 2026, destroying four tents and forcing several families to flee their shelters. No deaths or injuries were reported.

According to the camp administration, the fire began at approximately 2:00 p.m. local time. The damage was limited to property, but several families lost their tents and personal belongings.

One camp resident said he and seven members of his family narrowly escaped the flames.

“We ran out of the tent, but there were four barrels of kerosene outside which had caught fire. The fire spread rapidly, reached our tent and burned everything,” he said.

The exact cause of the fire has not yet been officially confirmed.

A continuing danger in displacement camps

Sheikhan camp was established in 2015 and primarily accommodates Ezidis displaced from Sinjar following the genocide committed by ISIS in 2014.

Although ISIS was territorially defeated in Iraq several years ago, thousands of Ezidi families remain displaced. Many are still unable to return because of insecurity, damaged infrastructure, limited public services and the continued presence of multiple armed actors in Sinjar.

For families who have now spent nearly twelve years in temporary shelters, fires remain one of the recurring dangers of camp life. Highly flammable tents and caravans, overloaded electrical systems, unsafe wiring and the storage of kerosene and fuel can allow small fires to spread within minutes.

This is not the first such incident.

In July 2025, a fire destroyed five caravans in Mam Rashan camp. During the same month, four tents burned in Chamishko camp and another seven tents were destroyed in Khanke camp.

The latest fire once again highlights the need for improved fire prevention measures, safer electrical infrastructure, proper fuel storage and adequate emergency equipment throughout displacement camps.

Nearly twelve years after the genocide

On 3 August 2014, ISIS launched its genocidal attack against the Ezidi people in Sinjar. Thousands were killed, abducted, enslaved or forced to flee, while entire villages and religious sites were destroyed.

Nearly twelve years later, many survivors remain in camps that were originally intended as temporary shelters. A generation of Ezidi children has now grown up in displacement, while many others have been born in the camps and have never known life in their ancestral homeland.

An Ezidi survivor has been freed after approximately 12 years in ISIS captivity, according to verified sources.

The survivor was just a small child when she was kidnapped by the islamists. She has now reached her relatives in Şengal after years of injustice, oppression and forced separation from her family.

Her return is a moment of deep relief for her relatives and for the Ezidi people. It is also a painful reminder that the consequences of the 2014 genocide are still ongoing. Many Ezidi women and children were abducted by ISIS, and many are still missing.

Every rescued survivor is a reminder of survival, pain and the need to continue searching for those who have not yet returned.

Out of respect for the survivor, Ezidi Times has decided not to publish any photographs or footage of her. This decision has been made to protect her identity, privacy and dignity.

We also encourage media outlets, pages and individuals to refrain from sharing images or videos of newly rescued survivors. A survivor may not object at the first moment, but later she may regret that her face was spread across the internet. Once such material is shared, it is very difficult to remove.

20.03.2026 Ezidi Times

A French court has, for the first time, formally recognised the genocide committed against the Ezidi people, marking a significant legal and historical development in Europe. The ruling comes in a case against French national Sabri Essid, tried in absentia for crimes committed during the attacks carried out by the so-called Islamic State against Ezidis in Iraq and Syria between 2014 and 2016.

The court found him guilty of genocide, crimes against humanity, and complicity, and sentenced him to life imprisonment. Although he is presumed dead, the proceedings moved forward due to the gravity of the crimes and the need for judicial recognition. This decision establishes an important precedent in France, where the atrocities against the Ezidi people had not previously been legally defined as genocide in a national court.

At the centre of the trial were the testimonies of survivors. One Ezidi woman, who endured years of captivity, described how her life was destroyed during the 2014 attack on Sinjar. She was captured along with her young child and husband, before being separated and subjected to repeated violence. She was transferred between multiple captors and sold several times in a system designed to exploit and dehumanise Ezidi women.

Her account outlined how women were forced into public spaces, displayed, and sold. She described being held by several men over a prolonged period, during which she experienced constant abuse and control. Despite the conditions, she eventually managed to escape with her child, navigating extreme risk to reach safety. Her husband remains missing.

The court also examined the background and behaviour of the accused. Testimony revealed a pattern of control and violence that predated his involvement with the extremist group. Once in Syria, this behaviour escalated in an environment where systematic crimes against Ezidis were organised and encouraged.

This trial is notable not only for the verdict but for its recognition of the specific intent behind the crimes. The targeting of Ezidis was not incidental; it formed part of a broader effort to destroy the Ezidi people through killings, abductions, forced conversions, and sexual enslavement. The ruling confirms that these acts meet the legal definition of genocide under international law.

The case was supported by legal teams and human rights organisations that have worked for years to document the crimes and bring perpetrators to justice. Their efforts, combined with the willingness of survivors to testify, made it possible for the court to establish a clear record of events.

For the Ezidi people, this moment represents a step toward accountability. While many perpetrators remain unpunished and thousands of Ezidis are still missing, the recognition by a European court contributes to the broader process of justice. It also reinforces the responsibility of national courts to address international crimes, even when committed outside their territory.

The ruling does not erase the suffering endured, but it formally acknowledges it. For survivors, that recognition carries weight. It places their experiences within a legal framework that defines what happened to them as one of the gravest crimes under international law.

Australia has recognised the ISIS genocide against the Ezidi people. Now it must prove that this recognition means something.

Recognition Is Not Enough

In 2018, Australia recognised that ISIS committed genocide against the Ezidi people.

That recognition mattered. But recognition alone does not bring justice.

ISIS crimes against Ezidis were not ordinary terrorism. Ezidi women and girls were enslaved, raped, sold, beaten, and forced to live under ISIS control. Ezidi children were taken from their families. Ezidi men were murdered. Ezidi identity and the Sharfadin faith were directly targeted.

This was genocide. It was crimes against humanity. It was slavery. It was sexual violence. It was war crimes.

If Australia recognises this genocide, then it must also investigate and prosecute these crimes under their real legal names. It is not enough to use only terrorism offences because they are easier or more familiar.

A terrorism case mainly asks whether a person supported or joined a terrorist organisation. A genocide case asks whether a person helped destroy a people. A crimes against humanity case asks whether a person took part in a system of slavery, rape, persecution, murder, and forced displacement.

For Ezidi survivors, this difference is not technical. It is personal. When genocide is treated only as terrorism, the victims disappear from the centre of the case.

Australia Should Learn From Germany

Germany has shown that ISIS crimes against Ezidis can be prosecuted properly. Sweden, the Netherlands and France are also following in Germany’s footsteps.

German courts have convicted ISIS members for crimes against humanity, war crimes, and genocide-related offences involving Ezidi victims. This sends an important message: ISIS crimes against Ezidis must be named correctly.

Recent reports have raised serious allegations involving ISIS-linked Australians and the enslavement of Ezidi girls. These allegations must be proven in court. But they must also be investigated through the correct legal framework.

If any Australian citizen, resident, spouse, relative, or household member controlled, abused, encouraged, enabled, or benefited from the enslavement of Ezidis, then this should not be reduced to a lesser terrorism case.

It should be investigated as possible genocide, crimes against humanity, slavery, war crimes, and sexual violence.

Australia knows how to investigate war crimes when it chooses to. So the question is simple: why is there no stronger legal focus on ISIS crimes against Ezidis?

The Crime Must Be Named Correctly

The Ezidi genocide was not a small part of the ISIS story. It was one of ISIS’s central crimes.

Ezidis were targeted because they were Ezidi. Their families, identity, homeland, women, children, and Sharfadin faith were attacked because ISIS wanted to destroy them as a people.

Australia must stop treating the Ezidi genocide as something smaller than it was.

It was genocide. It was crimes against humanity. It was slavery. It was sexual violence. It was war crimes. It was an attempt to destroy an ancient people.

If Australia truly recognises the Ezidi genocide, then it must also prosecute ISIS-linked crimes against Ezidis under their real legal names.