The attempted genocide of the Yazidis in Iraq

There is strong evidence that the attack by members of the Islamic State on the Yazidi religious community in Iraq is "an attempt at genocide", said senior UN official Ivan Šimonović in New York. Šimonović, Assistant Secretary General of the UN for Human Rights, addressed journalists in New York last night after a seven-day visit to Iraq where he spoke with members of the Yazidi group from various parts of the country. The crimes committed by the fighters of the Islamic State in the last four months can be characterized as war crimes and crimes against humanity, said Šimonović at the UN headquarters. He said that in the case of the Yazidis, the killings could be considered an attempt at genocide, as there was evidence that there was a will to destroy them if they refused to convert to Islam. Hundreds of Yazidis were killed when Islamic State seized parts of northern and western Iraq in August. Tens of thousands have fled for their lives, most of them to Kurdish-held parts of northern Iraq. Islamic State fighters captured hundreds of women and girls. About 7.000 Yazidis who remained were forced to convert to Islam and apply the strict interpretation of the Islamic faith advocated by members of the Islamic State. Yazidis are members of an old Kurdish sect who live in northern Iraq and Syria. Their religion, which has elements of Zoroastrianism, is considered heretical by members of the Islamic State.