German parliament recommends recognition of Yazidi genocide

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Germany's lower house of parliament on Thursday recommended that the 2014 crimes committed by the Islamic State (ISIS) against the Yazidi community in Iraq be recognized as "genocide," in what was referred to as "an essential step in overcoming the trauma" of the ethnic minority group. 

The Bundestag (parliament) approved a petition calling for the recognition, but it yet to hold a vote to complete the process.

Germany would follow the United Nations, the European parliament, and other nations including the United States, Belgium, Canada, and the Netherlands that have already recognized ISIS crimes against the Yazidis as genocide. 

Members of the Greens parliamentary bloc welcomed the decision.

“Acknowledging the genocide is an important part of the Yazidi community's trauma recovery. Today's step in the Bundestag is therefore indispensable on this path," Greens MP Max Lucks said about the decision.  

Germany houses dozens of Yazidi diaspora. It is among the few countries that have taken legal action against the militant group.

A German court in November sentenced an ISIS member to life imprisonment, after finding him guilty of genocide and war crimes against a Yazidi woman and her five-year-old daughter. The landmark ruling was the first ever conviction of an ISIS member for genocide. 

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.

The United Nations Investigative Team to Promote Accountability for Crimes Committed by Daesh/ISIL in Iraq and the Levant (UNITAD) stated in May 2021 that they had established “clear and convincing evidence” that ISIS had committed genocide against the Yazidis.

CORRECTION: This story was updated on July 9, 2022 to make clear that the German parliament has recommended the recognition of the crimes against Yazidis as "genocide" but is yet to hold a vote to complete the process.