Survivors reveal threats to community extermination in Sinjar in first Yazidi-led documentary
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Press release
SINJAR, August 15, 2022
– A Yazidi-led short
documentary
investigating the precarious situation in Sinjar was released on the
eight-year commemoration
of the Kocho massacres. The
documentary, titled “This is still genocide,” features the quests of Yazidi survivors and community members to safely rebuild their lives in Sinjar.
Directed by Mohamad Chreyteh, the documentary was commissioned, funded, and co-produced by Lynn Zovighian and The Zovighian Partnership to serve as a public advocacy asset for the Yazidi people. Yazda, a Yazidi community institution, facilitated the participation of Yazidis to share their voices, in line with survivor ethical protocols.
On camera, Yazidi Sinjaris describe key threats to community extermination eight years into the Yazidi Genocide. They shed a new human light on the ongoing devastation that has left Sinjar unsuitable for community and human life, stated Luqman, the Keeper of Lalish Temple, in the documentary. “The Yazidi people, after
Da’esh
entered their homeland have lived a very difficult life,” he explained.
Sinjar City and the surrounding towns and villages have become extremely unsafe and non-viable for historic resident communities and families. Scenes of the infrastructural, economic, and social destruction in Sinjar demonstrate how the Yazidi people and all Sinjaris have become victims of political inaction from national and international stakeholders. To date, both the Government of Iraq and the Kurdistan Regional Government have yet to implement a holistic and inclusive Sinjar Agreement.
“Today, everything is urgent, from security and representation in Sinjar to infrastructure, housing, basic services, economic re-development, education, health, an end to the permanence of the IDP camps,” stated Lynn Zovighian, Co-founder & Managing Director of The Zovighian Partnership at the premiere of “This is still genocide” during the eighth annual commemoration of the Yazidi Genocide on August 1.
Survivors share their fears on the overwhelming security threats from destabilizing armed groups, which is inhibiting the possibilities of families to safely leave the internally displaced persons (IDP) camps and return home to their historic villages in Sinjar.
“The situation in Sinjar is not secure. There are several parties in Sinjar. We cannot go back,” exclaimed Hassan, an internally displaced Yazidi featured in the documentary, who welcomed the production crew in his tent in a makeshift IDP camp.
Iraq used to be home to more than 550,000 Yazidis. More than 360,000 Yazidis remain displaced eight years since Da’esh
launched their genocide campaign in Sinjar on August 3, 2014.
The temple of Lalish in northern Iraq is the oldest temple in the Yazidi religion. The doors of Lalish are open to all people.
“The government has not been able to provide security and stability for the Yazidi people. Therefore, I will remain armed to protect the Yazidi identity and the Yazidi people and the territory,” stated Khal Ali, Lalish Brigade Commander.
The documentary scrutinizes the obstruction of justice for the Yazidi people. Bafren, a Yazidi survivor of Da’esh sexual enslavement shared, “We will not hide the crimes of Da’esh. We will continue to say that these acts should never happen again.”
In a visit to the Commission for Investigating and Gathering Evidence, established by the Kurdistan Regional Government, the documentary features Senior Investigative Judge Ayman Mustapha who is responsible for preparing judicial files for the crimes committed by
Da’esh.
“The mission of the investigating commission is to gather evidence, investigate, and build cases. However, no judiciary body exists to take these cases to court,” says Mustapha, confirming that the absence of a national plan to coordinate these trials with the Government of Iraq is obstructing justice.
Jameel Chomer, Yazda Country Director says on camera: “Everyone needs to understand that there will be no reconciliation without justice.”
“The footage you saw today in no way demonstrates the colossal magnitude of the complexities and dangers facing Sinjaris today. We did not include footage of Mount Sinjar in August 2014 with children and corpses laying bare […] women being chained and traded for perverts seeking the pleasures of sexual violence. […] But I hope, what we were able to show you in less than 10 minutes is what life in Sinjar feels like for survivors who escaped all these atrocities. But those atrocities can never escape them,” stated Zovighian during the premiere.
Sinjar Academy Founder and Yazda Organization Co-founder and former Executive Director, Murad Ismael, commented: “This is a powerful documentary depicting the state of the Yazidi community eight years since the start of genocide. It put me in tears and probably will do the same to you. But we should not close our eyes on a people who collectively suffer. It is necessary to tell this story once again, because the world has moved on, while the Yazidis cannot.”
Sharing his experience on the ground while filming in Lalish and Sinjar City,
Mohamad Chreyteh, the documentary director shared: “It was a soul-enriching experience meeting such a peaceful community.
I had the chance to talk to survivors of extermination, listen to their stories and feel their personal ongoing struggle. I felt angry and frustrated for a couple of days, but my visit to Lalish magically contributed to my comfort. And meeting members of the Yazidi community in their holiest site practicing their beliefs despite the oppression and the pain they went through, adjusted my state of mind and boosted my storytelling not only to report about the Yazidis but also to think of all the victims of acts of violence based on religion or belief.” The documentary pits the peace loving nature of the Yazidi people against the terrors they are now living every day.
The mission of the Commission for Investigating and Gathering Evidence, established by the Kurdistan Regional Government, is to gather evidence investigate, and build cases for the crimes committed by Da’esh.
Yazidism is an ancient religion, over seven thousands years old. The word “Yazidi” is “Azdai,” meaning “God created me.”
Beyond documenting the colossal long-term consequences of the Yazidi Genocide, the aim of this short documentary is to galvanize national and international action and accountability for Sinjar and all Sinjaris. “Rebuilding Sinjar should be co-defined with the Yazidi people, integrating their voices, their needs, their identity, their unique ways of life, and the socio-cultural and religious fabric that makes them community," stated Zovighian.
Haider Elias, Co-founder & President of Yazda Organization, stated at the premiere: “To the international community: We need your support more than any other community and more than any other time. We are calling for your help; either help the Yazidis to stay in this country, resettle them in their homes, or help us leave this country.”
On camera, Khaled, who miraculously survived mass field executions in the town of Kocho in the initial days of the Yazidi Genocide campaign by
Da’esh, says: “I feel that Sinjar and our land cannot stand on its own two feet like before.”
For Arabic
click here.
The Zovighian Partnership is a family-owned social investment platform, established by father and daughter in 2013. Deeply invested in R&D, we are committed to delivering ethical, inclusive, and innovative design, research, and prototypes.
The Zovighian Partnership Public Office is committed to delivering significant resources to bringing grounded methodology, sound governance, and rigorous strategic thinking to communities and cities in crisis. We hold ourselves accountable to giving voice to the diversity of views that are central to long-term and sustainable peace and socio-economic enablement.
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Yazda is a global community-led institution that protects and champions all religious and ethnic minority communities, including Assyrians, Chaldeans, Kakais, Shabak, Yazidis, and others in Iraq, Kurdistan Region, and Syria.
Founded in 2014 at the onset of the genocide perpetuated by Da’esh, also known as Islamic State in Iraq and Levant (ISIL) against the Yazidis, as well as war crimes and crimes against humanity against other minorities, Yazda leads advocacy and strategic projects in Dohuk, Sinjar, and the Nineveh Plains, as well as global diaspora hubs.