UK: IS Attacks on Yazidis Constitute Genocide

Facts

• On Tuesday, the UK officially acknowledged that the minority Yazidi people faced genocide at the hands of the Islamic State (IS) in Iraq in 2014. The recognition comes after Germany jailed an IS militant in 2021 for crimes against the Yazidis.¹
• Lord Ahmad, the UK Minister of State for the Middle East, made the announcement, saying that the Yazidi population “suffered immensely” nine years ago and the repercussions are still felt “to this day."²
• In 2014, IS persecuted the Kurdish-speaking minority over their religious beliefs, killing thousands of men and subjecting women and young girls to enslavement and sexual assault in Iraq and Syria.³
• As a part of their effort, IS also abducted Yazidi boys to be trained and used as child soldiers. More than 2.7K women and children reportedly remain unaccounted for.⁴
• With this latest acknowledgment, the UK now recognizes a total of five genocides, including the Holocaust, Rwanda, Srebrenica, and Cambodia.⁵
• Several bodies and governments have found that the acts carried out by IS against the Yazidis meet the legal definition of genocide, including the US, Canada, the Netherlands, the European Parliament, and the UN, among others.⁴

Sources: ¹Reuters, ²GOV.UK, ³Sky News, ⁴Forbes, and ⁵Al Jazeera.

Narratives

• Pro-establishment narrative, as provided by The Times of Israel. Acknowledgment is the first step. By recognizing the atrocities that took place against the Yazidi people, the UK has opened the door for accountability and justice, which will include criminal actions against any British-born perpetrators and assistance for the victims. Equally as important, it sends a message to the world that these outrageous acts cannot go unchecked.
• Establishment-critical narrative, as provided by Guardian. While this is a much-needed move, it's not enough. IS fighters may have committed these atrocities — and should undoubtedly be punished — but several international communities were silent witnesses and must also be held accountable for their failure to prevent the genocide of the Yazidi people. This should serve as a warning to the international community that they have obligations, and they must abide by them.