In the summer of 2014, the self-proclaimed Islamic State (IS) carried out a violent campaign against the Yezidi people of Ninewa province in northern Iraq. Hundreds of residents of the Yezidi village of Kocho fled to nearby Mount Sinjar, where, stranded without food, water, or medical supplies, many died. IS targeted those who remained through mass murder, rape, torture, kidnapping, enslavement, and forcible conversion to Islam. Widespread persecution of Yezidis and other Iraqi religious and ethnic minorities by IS has forced more than 800,000 people from their homes, ravaged shrines, temples, and churches, and torn the social fabric of a once-diverse region. Seven years after the self-proclaimed Islamic State's genocidal attack on the Yezidis, our panelists discuss the pursuit of justice in Iraq and efforts to hold perpetrators accountable.
Speakers:
Jonathan Agar, Legal Officer, United Nations Investigative Team to Promote Accountability for Crimes Committed by Da’esh/ISIL (UNITAD)
Pari Ibrahim, Founder and Executive Director, Free Yezidi Foundation
Naomi Kikoler (moderator), Director, Simon-Skjodt Center for the Prevention of Genocide, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
Natia Navrouzov, Legal Advocacy Director, Yazda
