It is normally that the oppressed peoples across the history would learn lessons from the tragedies committed against them otherwise, they will remain moaning in the darkness and enslavement. Many civilizations vanished and many peoples disappeared without being mentioned in history because they did not have their own role to play and did not create the chance to keep their identity and continuity. It is similar to somebody who surrenders himself to the illness without being cured till death.
The Yezidi society in Iraq and Turkey in particular suffered from peerless dark periods during the history, starting from genocide campaigns, women capturing, forcible displacement, villages burning, confiscating of public assets and properties, obligatory conversion of creed and religion, and burning religious symbols for being accused as apostates, unbelievers and evil worshipers. All these names from extremists’ point of view give them the right to punish those peoples. As a result, many military campaigns supported by legal opinions (Fatwa) from religious people were committed against this sector who believes in the Creator, allowing them to kill, destroy, loot and capturing women. Therefore they were unable to protect their continuity and vitality. We can see that it is necessary to sue the countries and religious, military and administrative people that instigated and committed those crimes at the International Criminal Court and their names are listed in the official references and documents.
Since the Yezidis cultural Association (YCA), to start opening this dossier and presenting this issue for discussion, is to enrich it with opinions and suggestions of jurists in order to acquire the legal capacity, and not trying to open wounds to create a sectarian crisis or just a passing by subject wrapped up by the history, also to enforce the aggrieved right for a society who completely faced the worst criminals on this earth such as; genocide, obligatory conversion of religion, dishonor, forced displacement and the demographic change by the witness and admission of writers, authors and legal statements. All these crimes are within the concrete specialization of those courts; therefore we would like to view the importance of the following:
1. Crystallizing the idea and enriching it from the legal point of view by calling the jurists specially those belonging to international law to present their necessary remarks and the suggested evaluation.
2. Calling the Yezidi civil society organizations to unify the efforts and announce their opinion for the purpose of forming a working group to follow the issue internationally.
3. Calling all kind powers, the international civil societies and those figures who believe in the injustice we had affected specially the writes and authors to support this demand and gather the efforts.
4. Calling the official authorities all over Iraq, Syria and Turkey, especially the ministry of human rights and the civil society to support and facilitate the function of people and the working groups in this regard.
5. Calling organizations, international/regional institutes which concern about human rights, charity associations, rich/good Yezidis and others for donation to cover traveling/staying expenses in addition to search the documents in order to accomplish this work.
6. Calling Yezidi artists, painters and plastic artists to sculpture a panorama explaining and presenting those sufferings through an international exhibition and showing the role of Yezidi folklore by holding festivals of the popular artistic groups and traditional songs to convey the Yezidi realty to other people.
7. Calling all those who believe in this demand to sign and certify in order to be an active pressure at the International Criminal Court to put an end for the unjust against a society who deserve all the efforts, money and sacrifice in respect to all the sufferings and sacrifices of the courageous ancestors.
This issue has taken up a wide range of our thinking and time, and after many participations at local, regional and international conferences besides the inquiry from the defenders of human right in Europe, America and Canada especially those who concern about the rights of religious, ethnic and nationalism minorities, it appeared to us that we can raise such a sue at the International Criminal Court to demand international securities in order not to be repeated and to compensate the Yezidi society materially and morally for the destruction that suffered from. It is mentioned in references that the Yezidi population in Iraq was more than one million during the period (1700-1800 AD). While now and after three centauries it is not more than (700000) in Iraq, and this is a clear evidence of the genocide that the Yezidis had suffered from through their history. And for now, the Kurdish authorities are using multi stresses to disappear what is belonging to the Yezidi specify, religious and traditional culture. I hope that this request will have an area of discussion within your kind discussion as individuals or/and groups. Thank you for time.
ALI SEDO RASHO
Yezidi Cultural Association President in Iraq.
Cairo / Egypt
13/3/2008
[email protected]
Mobile: +20 11 85 36 745
