Swiss parliament recognizes IS crimes against Yazidis as genocide

Swiss parliament recognizes Islamic State crimes against Yazidis as genocide — Swiss parliament. Photo: Creative Commons/Richard Cassan/flickr

BERN,— Switzerland’s parliament voted Tuesday to officially recognize crimes committed by the Islamic State group against Iraq’s Yazidi community as genocide, urging global efforts for justice and reparations for survivors.

Lawmakers in the Swiss National Council overwhelmingly condemned the “systematic and genocidal expulsion, rape, and murder of Yazidis,” as well as the destruction of their cultural heritage. The resolution also called on the Swiss government to work toward reparations for victims.

The motion passed with 105 lawmakers in favor, 61 opposed, and 27 abstaining, according to an official statement from parliament.

The recognition aligns with international efforts to hold ISIS accountable for its atrocities. A 2021 report by the United Nations Investigative Team to Promote Accountability for Crimes Committed by Da’esh/ISIL (UNITAD) provided what it described as “clear evidence” that ISIS carried out genocide against Yazidis. UNITAD, established in 2017 to investigate ISIS atrocities, transferred its findings to Iraqi and Kurdish authorities in September after its mandate ended.

Switzerland joins a list of countries that have officially acknowledged the Yazidi genocide. In 2016, the United States, the United Nations, the European Union, and the UK Parliament all declared ISIS’ crimes against Yazidis as genocide. Armenia followed in 2018, with Belgium and the Netherlands making similar declarations in 2021.

More recently, Germany’s parliament recognized the genocide in January 2023, and the British government formally did so in August of the same year. The Luxembourg Parliament also adopted a resolution recognizing the atrocities in November 2022.

The international community’s actions reflect mounting acknowledgment of the horrors that unfolded when ISIS attacked the Yazidi community in Iraq’s Sinjar district in August 2014.

The Islamic State’s assault on Sinjar, located in Iraq’s Nineveh province, marked one of the most brutal campaigns of its self-declared caliphate. Following the withdrawal of Kurdish KDP forces loyal to then-Iraqi Kurdistan region President Massoud Barzani, ISIS militants overran the area, leaving the Yazidi population defenseless.

Islamic State militants killing Yazidi men, Sinjar, northwest Iraq, 2014. Photo: ISIS media/video/sm/iKurd.net

Over several days, ISIS massacred an estimated 3,000 Yazidis and abducted 6,800 others. Thousands of women and girls were raped or sold into sexual slavery, while men and boys were executed or forced into servitude and indoctrination. Survivors described harrowing scenes of violence and terror as families fled to Mount Sinjar, where they endured starvation, dehydration, and relentless attacks.

Around 360,000 Yazidis were displaced, with many seeking refuge in camps across northern Iraq or fleeing abroad. According to official estimates, approximately 3,000 Yazidis remain missing nearly a decade later.

The Yazidi community has struggled to rebuild in the years since the genocide. Critics and survivors alike blame tribal leader Massoud Barzani, the former president of Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdish region, for failing to defend the Yazidis in Sinjar.

A leaked report from the Kurdish Regional Government revealed that 18,000 KDP Peshmerga fighters stationed in the area retreated without a fight, leaving Yazidis to face the ISIS onslaught alone.

The attack shattered trust between the Yazidis and the ruling Barzani family, with many accusing the leadership of abandoning them in their darkest hour. The aftermath also left lasting scars on the Yazidi population, which had numbered around 600,000 in Iraq before 2014.

The community’s ties to ancient Mesopotamian religions and practices have made them targets of persecution throughout history. Rooted in Zoroastrianism with elements of Sufism, Yazidism is often branded heretical by extremist groups like ISIS.

Today, the Yazidi population worldwide is estimated at 1.5 million. While the majority remain in Iraq, significant communities have formed in Armenia, Georgia, Turkey, and Syria. In recent decades, many Yazidis have sought refuge in Europe, particularly in Germany, which is now home to one of the largest Yazidi diasporas.

Efforts to provide justice for the Yazidis continue, with UNITAD’s investigations and international recognition serving as crucial steps toward accountability. Survivors and advocates hope that Switzerland’s recognition will spur further action to address the genocide and support those still grappling with its aftermath.