The United Kingdom has acknowledged that the ISIL (ISIS) group committed “acts of genocide” against the Yazidi people in 2014.
Marking the ninth anniversary of atrocities committed by ISIL against the Yazidi community, the UK’s decision on Tuesday follows a ruling by the German Federal Court of Justice which found a former ISIL fighter guilty of acts of genocide and crimes against humanity.
In the Sinjar region of Iraq in 2014, ISIL fighters systematically killed and enslaved thousands of men and women they considered “infidels” due to their religious beliefs.
Britain’s Minister of State for the Middle East, Lord Ahmad, said the Yazidi population “suffered immensely at the hands of Daesh [ISIL] nine years ago, and the repercussions are still felt to this day. Justice and accountability are key for those whose lives have been devastated.”
Nadia Murad, president of Nadia’s Initiative, advocating for survivors of sexual violence, welcomed the move as a “significant gesture to the Yazidi people, as we continue to fight for accountability.”
The UK’s ambassador to Iraq, Stephen Hitchen, will formally announce the decision to recognize the treatment of the Yazidi people as genocide at a commemoration event in Baghdad, Iraq.
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