UN calls on PYD administration to release Yazidis held in camps

ARK News.. The United Nations has called on the PYD administration in northeastern Syria to release Yazidis held in camps it runs, and called for ensuring that the plight of Yazidis and other affected minorities remains at the heart of policy discussions.

Pramila Patten, Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict, said on the 10th anniversary of the attempted annihilation of the Yazidi people in Sinjar, where the group attacked the area, slaughtered thousands, abducted 6,417 people, and subjected women and girls to violence, including rape and sexual slavery.

The Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict stressed that Yazidi survivors and other communities in Iraq continue to require special support to heal and rebuild their lives, as well as justice, accountability for perpetrators, and guarantees of non-repetition.

According to the UN statement, 2,847 Yazidis remain missing, in addition to an unknown number of missing persons from other communities. It is likely that many survivors are still being held, and may not reveal their identity due to fears of reprisals and separation from their children.

Pramila Patten added that there can be no real peace without reconciliation, no reconciliation without justice, and no justice without accountability.

The extreme brutality that ISIS unleashed against the Yazidi community represents a dark moment in Iraq’s history that we must never forget, and the perpetrators continue to be tried solely for their affiliation with this terrorist organization, not for the crimes committed.

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