Afrin Autonomous Administration held a press conference on the 7th anniversary of the Shengal massacre. The Kurdish version of the statement in Berxwedan Camp in Shehba was read by Zelox Reşid and the Arabic version by Mihemed Naso.

Pointing out that the Yazidi community has been subjected to many genocides throughout history, the statement added that the most dangerous of them was that carried out by the Turkish state, with the help of ISIS.

The statement reminded that Yazidi women were abducted in August 2014 and sold in markets in Raqqa and Mosul. The statement added that the aim of the genocide was to destroy the history and culture of the Yazidi community, and that the Iraqi army and the peshmergas did not fulfil their responsibilities towards the Yazidis. Emphasizing that the Yazidis were saved from an even worse massacre thanks to the YPG and YPJ, the statement added: “The Turkish state and the KDP were the main actors in the implementation of the genocide. The history of the Turkish state is full of massacres against the Kurdish people. They tried to destroy the Yazidis just as they wanted to destroy the Kurdish people."

The statement continued: “Seven years have passed since the genocide the Yazidi community was subjected to. In August 2012, thousands of Yazidis were forced to flee their homes. But the Yazidi community reacted, and created its own defense units and its self-government. According to Iraqi law, this is a natural right. However, the Iraqi government does not recognize this right. The international community should recognize the legitimate Shengal Autonomous Administration and support the Yazidis to govern themselves.”