This Monday, December 16th, 2019, Yazidis in various parts of the world will begin to observe the Rojit Ezi- a three day holy fast, followed by the fourth day of celebration. The Yazda family congratulates all the world’s Yezidis on this important religious occasion and prays that the fasting will be accepted to merit the end of this era of tragedy, suffering, and genocide that has been ongoing since August 2014.

During these auspicious days, we must show our solidarity with the victims of the Yazidi genocide and their families. In particular, we must keep in mind the 2,800 Yazidi women and children who remain missing despite the passage of over a years’ time since ISIS’s military defeat in Iraq and Syria.

We reiterate our call to all relevant authorities to make more efforts to return the kidnapped Yazidis to their families. We call on them to take any and all appropriate steps to ensure the safe return of the displaced Yazidis in IDP camps to their homes. This will require economic and security measures that include the reconstruction and rehabilitation of Yazidi areas and the provision of adequate security.

Furthermore, we call on the Iraqi authorities to provide just compensation to affected Yazidis for their losses, namely the psychological and material damages inflicted upon them in the course of the genocide. Additionally, to emphasize the importance of achieving justice, the perpetrators and collaborators of the genocide must be brought to justice in a court of law. Therefore, it is the responsibility of the international community to establish a special and neutral international court with the jurisdiction to prosecute the more than 20,000 ISIS militants and supporters currently detained in Iraq and Syria.

In these special days of fasting and observance, we once again pledge that Yazda will remain the cornerstone of the Yazidi cause, and will be first in line to support any persecuted minorities. We will continue to work on the various approaches that we started in 2014 to continue to inform the world about the Yazidi genocide and minority struggles, and to support the processes of justice both nationally and internationally. We will continue to advocate for the Yazidis and other at-risk minorities, and continue Yazda’s vital humanitarian projects, including the support of the victims and survivors of the genocide.