Urgent appeal concerning the protection of the Kurdish Yezidis in Iraq

Dr. Frank-Walter Steinmeier
Bundesaußenminister
Auswärtiges Amt
11013 Berlin
Germany

Giessen/Goettingen, August 4, 2014

Urgent appeal concerning the protection of the Kurdish Yezidis in Iraq

Dear Minister Steinmeier,

the Yezidis in Iraq are threatened by a new genocide. The members of the religious community of the Yezidis in Germany are deeply concerned – and we are too – about the lives and the safety of hundreds of thousands of Yezidi Kurds in the region of Sinjar in the outer north-west of Iraq, which is currently under attack of the ISIS extremists.

The Yezidis are a Kurdish religious minority that has suffered from many pogroms and massacres in the past. Thus, almost all members of the Yezidi communities in Turkey have left the country – mostly to Germany, where they are now well integrated. In Iraq, the religious minority is subject to persecution, as their religious belief is a thorn in the side of the radical Islamists. In Sinjar, back in 2007, hundreds of Yezidis were killed and thousands were injured in a cowardly attack.

Now, the new offensive of the Islamic ISIS is an even greater danger for the Yezidis. The Islamists managed to invade more and more of the Yezidis' homeland and to gain control over several villages. According to official estimates, there are now thousands of Yezidis on the run. The Sinjar region is home to around 450,000 Yezidis! The Islamists are about to destroy their cultural heritage and their religious sites. After the Sunni Islamists conquered the city Mosul in northern Iraq in the middle of June, they drove the Christian Assyrians/Chaldeans/Aramaeans, the Shabak, Yezidis, Shiites and Kurdish Muslims from the city. The majority of the refugees are now trying to find refuge in Iraqi Kurdistan. The Kurdish government is unable to take care of the situation all on its own, as the capacities are long exhausted.

The Islamists have now expanded their attacks. They are about to conquer the city of Sinjar, which is mainly inhabited by Yezidis – and there are first signs of a possible massacre! Against this background, we urge you to advocate for these people by using the "silent" diplomatic channels to the highest representatives of the "Protecting Powers" of the extremists, such as Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and other countries, in order to thwart any direct or indirect support for the extremists.

Everything must be done to ensure that these people can stay in their home area and that they will not be forced to flee.

We will be happy to answer any questions.

Sincerely,

Mehmet Tanriverdi
Deputy Chairman of the Kurdische Gemeinde Deutschland e.V. (German Kurdish Community)
Suedanlage 3a
35390 Giessen
Germany
info@kurdische-gemeinde.de
www.kurdische-gemeinde.de

Tilman Zülch
General Secretary of the Society for Threatened Peoples e.V.
Geiststr. 7
37073 Goettingen
Germany
info@gfbv.de
www.gfbv.de

Telim Tolan
Chairman of the Central Council of the Yezidis in Germany
Eidechsenstr. 19
26133 Oldenburg
zentralrat@yeziden.de
www.yeziden.de

Header Photo: During the press conference in Hannover on August 4, 2014. © GfbV