Ten years into genocide, while the world moves on, the Zovighian Public Office will never forget the Yazidi people

On this August 3, 2024, the Zovighian Public Office (ZPO) joins the Yazidi community in mourning and remembering the horrific loss of life, the enslavement of women and girls, and the forcible transfer of boys, as well as the population-wide displacement, all incited by Da’esh’s genocidal campaign, which began on August 3, 2014. Today, we are with our Yazidi friends who gather in Sinjar at the Yazidi Genocide Memorial Site, in both prayer and spirit, holding space for all those who have and are still suffering.

At this ten-year commemorative mark, we will continue to stand steadfast with the Yazidi people as they lead the greatest campaign for genocidal recognition, justice, and accountability that the world has ever seen. Their incredible efforts have established an international benchmark that other communities suffering from crimes of atrocity will have the chance to also build upon, because “Never Again” is never again for all communities who have suffered genocide.

It is the mission of the ZPO to always give voice and ensure that survivors are amplified, as well as empower communities to be co-equal decision-makers in their lives and future. Over the last nine years, we have worked closely with Yazda and its many leaders and teams to protect the community from further crimes, preserve their long-term and sustainable existence in the Middle East, and help the community build back Sinjar and their lives to the highest human standard of prosperity, peace, and happiness.

We are far from achieving many of these objectives because with many other genocides and conflicts in our world, the Yazidi Genocide has been forgotten.

However, together with our partners, Yazda, under the leadership of Executive Director Natia Navrouzov, and the Yazidi Survivors Network (YSN), we continue to achieve what we can and do our best to move mountains:

On June 24, Natia Navrouzov, on behalf of Yazda, and Lynn Zovighian, on behalf of ZPO, co-presided a special session at the Palace of Luxembourg in Paris with French Senator of l’Orne Nathalie Goulet to call for renewed action towards justice and meeting the pertinent needs of Yazidi survivors and the community. ZPO and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) were the main sponsors of the event. Lynn Zovighian served as master of ceremonies and gave her closing remarks to honor the members of the YSN who flew in from Sinjar for this historic event.

On July 30, with Yazda and the Wilson Center Middle East Program, we sponsored and co-hosted a special policy event and spotlighted the voices, expertise, and leadership of three Yazidi leaders: Natia Navrouzov from Yazda, Pari Ibrahim from the Free Yezidi Foundation, and Murad Ismael from Sinjar Academy, with Wilson Center Middle East Program Director Merissa Khurma, International Religious Freedom Secretariat President Nadine Maenza, former Congressman Frank R. Wolf (R-VA), and U.S. Secretary of State Ambassador-at-large for International Religious Freedom Rashad Hussain. Lynn Zovighian called for the collective and personal security of Yazidis, including our expert panelists, in her closing keynote speech and called upon U.S. government allies to re-prioritize the cause.

We also embarked on an extensive advocacy campaign with Yazidi leaders and survivors, publishing multiple articles and reports to shed light on the many challenges and risks facing the Yazidi community today:

Our latest report, “There is no fut ure in Sinjar without safety and agency,” is the second of a two-part policy paper series that lays out a blueprint for a new co-designed Sinjar Agreement that is both inclusive and sustainable with policy recommendations for meaningful and empowered political representation for Yazidis and all historic communities in Sinjar. This report was co-authored by Ahmed Khudida Burjus from Yazda and Lynn Zovighian and published by the Wilson Center Middle East Program.

We published an article for the Wilson Center Middle East Program, titled “The historic minority communities of Sinjar need a US special envoy for security and justice,” co-authored with Natia Navrouzov, Pari Ibrahim, Murad Ismael, and Lynn Zovighian.

Natia Navrouzov and Lynn Zovighian published an immersive opinion piece with The New Humanitarian, titled, “Ten years into genocide: Yazidi survivors are demanding their rights,” spotlighting the voices of Yazidi survivors and members of the YSN on life in Sinjar, justice, and finding those still missing.

With our colleagues at Arab News, we supported the writing and publishing of an extensive ten-year deep-dive of the Yazidi Genocide, highlighting the personal experiences and voices of Yazidi leaders Natia Navrouzov, Murad Ismael, Haider Elias, and Abid Shamdeen from Nadia’s Initiative. The report closes with a call-to-action by Lynn Zovighian.

Carnegie Middle East Center published a deep-dive interview with Lynn Zovighian on the magnitude of the Yazidi Genocide committed by Da’esh and its long-term ramifications on the community’s existence in the Middle East.

In a return to her former column with Annahar, Lynn Zovighian wrote a personal essay in English and Arabic for the ten-year commemoration of the Yazidi Genocide, titled “My Yazidi friends deserve a life worth living with security, justice, and peace,” calling on the governments of Iraq and the Kurdistan Region to prioritize the long-term protection of the Yazidi people.

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About the Zovighian Public Office

The Zovighian Public Office (ZPO) was established in 2015 to serve communities facing crises and crimes of atrocity. We are dedicated to amplifying their voices through research, advocacy, and diplomacy. We are deeply committed to justice and accountability for the Yazidis of Sinjar in the Kurdistan Region and Iraq.

Red alert statements are issued as urgent calls-to-action to allies and the international community to activate their further support at that critical time.

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Welcome to the Zovighian Public Office (ZPO). We are holding a new digital space for communities facing crimes of atrocity. While we complete our new website, you can check out our history of public service and social justice here.