House of Commons to debate UK recognition of Yazidi genocide

ERBIL, Kurdistan - The House of Commons will debate on Tuesday whether the United Kingdom government should recognize atrocities committed by the Islamic State (ISIS) against the Yazidi community in Iraq as genocide. 

The debate is scheduled to take place at Westminster Hall and will be led by MP Brendan O’Hara, who has previously spoken against the suffering endured by the Yazidis at the hands of ISIS.

The UK government has condemned ISIS atrocities committed against the Yazidis, but has stopped short of recognizing the crimes as genocide. The UK has a long-standing policy that the decision lies with higher criminal courts, rather than with the government. 

In 2016, MPs in the House of Commons unanimously voted to label the treatment of the Yazidis by ISIS as genocide and to refer the issue to the United Nations Security Council. However, the UK Foreign Office directed ministers to abstain, on the basis that it is not up to the government to make such judgements.

The International Criminal Court (ICC) has jurisdiction over cases related to genocide and crimes against humanity. However, Iraq and Syria are not subject to the ruling of the ICC, making it difficult for convicted ISIS members to be tried for genocide. Some European states have suggested the establishment of an international tribunal dedicated to ISIS-related cases but progress is yet to be made. 

This time, there is precedence of international recognition of the Yazidi genocide. The United Nations and the European parliament, as well as other nations including the United States, Belgium, Canada, and the Netherlands have already recognized ISIS crimes against the Yazidis as genocide. Evidence has established that the ISIS crimes committed against the group “truly” constitute genocide, Karim Khan, former head of the United Nations Investigative Team to Promote Accountability for Crimes Committed by Daesh/ISIL (UNITAD) told the UN in May. The UK has also provided funding to support the work conducted by UNITAD. 

ISIS swept across Iraq and Syria in the summer of 2014. Minority groups especially suffered under the terror group's rule, including Yazidis, Shabaks, and Christians.

More than 6,000 Yazidis were kidnapped when ISIS attacked their heartland of Shingal in Nineveh province, according to the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Office for Rescuing Kidnapped Yazidis. Over 2,000 remain missing.

According to the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Office for Rescuing Kidnapped Yazidis, over 120,000 Yazidis have left Iraq since ISIS waged their devastating campaign on the community, and tens of thousands of those who remain in the region live in camps.