German MP urges talks on Yazidis between Iraq, KRG ahead of President Barzani visit

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - A German MP on Saturday called for serious and fault-finding discussions between the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) and the Iraqi federal government on pending issues of the Yazidis, adding that Germany stands ready to assist.

“If we do nothing here and look elsewhere, since there are a lot of crises in the world, we will be unjust to the people and forget the immense pain they experience,” Agnieszka Brugger, member of the Greens bloc inside the German parliament told Rudaw’s Alla Shally, adding that overlooking the pain endured by Yazidis leads to further crises.

Brugger’s comments come as the Kurdistan Region’s President Nechirvan Barzani is set to visit Berlin on Monday to discuss bilateral relations German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, which she regarded as a “very important” meeting.

The MP suggested that Erbil and Baghdad engage in talks regarding the ongoing issues that need to be resolved, especially the topics related to reconciliation and ensuring the welfare of citizens. The unresolved matters consist of lack of security and need for reconstruction in Shingal to allow for the return of Yazidis from displacement camps, ensuring adequate conditions in these camps, and discrepancies in the Yazidi Survivor Law. 

In March, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock paid a visit to the Lalish temple of the Yazidis in their homeland of Shingal, as well as cultural centers during her three-day trip to Iraq and the Kurdistan Region. The German foreign minister also visited an IDP camp housing displaced Yazidis in Duhok to review the situation of the residents and address their concerns.

“We saw the [foreign] minister dedicate most of her time to Kurdistan [Region], it’s a great sign of solidarity,” Brugger said regarding the visit, “she could have visited three countries in those three days.”

In January, the German parliament recognized ISIS crimes against the Yazidi community as “genocide”. Burgger says this step was not only a symbolic act, but that it also creates responsibility and commitment towards the issue. 

“We cannot say it has ended, on contrary, we need to continuously cooperate in the region and be active and do not forget what happened,” she said of the remaining threat posed by ISIS. 

In August 2014, ISIS militants seized the Yazidi heartland of Shingal in northern Iraq and committed genocide against the minority community. More than 400,000 Yazidis fled. The men and older women who were not able to flee were killed. More than 5,000 were buried in mass graves. An estimated 6,417 women and children were enslaved.

Poverty, instability, and unemployment have driven more than 120,000 Yazidis to take illegal and dangerous routes to Europe ever since 2014, according to the Yazidi affairs office in the KRG.

Earlier this month, six Yazidi women were rescued and returned to the Kurdistan Region more than eight years after they were taken captive by Islamic State (ISIS) militants, Nobel Peace Laureate Naida Murad announced, crediting President Barzani with assisting with the rescue. Barzani established an office to rescue the missing women and children.

Iraq passed the Yazidi Survivors’ Law in 2021, marking the first recognition by the Iraqi government of the Yazidi genocide, following previous steps by the KRG in doing so.

The law consists of a reparation program for the Yazidis and other minority group survivors of crimes committed by ISIS. However, in order to benefit from the program, victims need to file criminal complaints which come with tedious bureaucratic and administrative requirements. Due to this, the legislation has received criticism from various NGOs and rights groups including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch.

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