Democratic Êzîdî Society Coordination pointed out the importance of an organized society in the statement they issued for the anniversary of the Shengal massacre. The Coordination made calls addressing to Êzîdîs and the international community.

Democratic Êzîdî Society Coordination has issued a statement marking the second anniversary of the firman against the Êzîdîs in Shengal town in Southern Kurdistan.

The statement opens with: “We commemorate the immortal heroes that became a new hope for Shengal and our martyrs of the firman; and repeat our promise to realize their dreams and their fight.”

The statement continues as follows:

“Our own self defense forces YBŞ-YJŞ have grown with the resistance and our self government developing with the confidence from this resistance shows the Êzîdîs are not the Êzîdîs of the past, and never will be.

“As the cruel reality in Shengal shook our Êzîdî society and the rest of humanity, the organisation and unity that developed through the resistance and self government in Shengal should give hope to all as it has given hope to our Êzîdî society.

“The Êzîdîs are now in a position to tell friend from foe and to take position accordingly. Today, more than ever before, the conditions are ripe for the Êzîdîs to hold their own identity and develop their own organisation and unity in this basis.”

TO ÊZÎDÎS

The coordination made the following calls to the Êzîdî society:

“The hearts of all Êzîdîs, wherever they are, in four parts of Kurdistan or anywhere in the world, should beat for Shengal, and an Êzîdî unity should be established that centers around Shengal.

Our voices should amplify the voices of the Shengali Êzîdîs wherever we are in the world, especially Europe, and we should work for Shengal’s status and its rebuilding.

On August 3, wherever they are, Êzîdîs should take to the streets along with their friends, they should partake in activities that will turn the protest of this dark day into a matter for all humanity.”

TO THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY

The Democratic Êzîdî Society Coordination made the following calls for the international community:

“The atrocity committed against the Êzîdîs on August 3, 2014 should be acknowledged as a genocide. Those who led the way to and committed this genocide should be put on trial in international courts.

Precautions should be taken to protect and secure the religious and cultural values of the Êzîdî society.

The de facto self governance built by the Êzîdî society in Shengal should be recognized by the international institutions and should be secured by the respective states’ constitutions.

Projects should be developed for the return of Êzîdîs to their homelands, especially for those displaced by the last firman. In this sense, Shengal’s rebuilding efforts should be supported. This support should be provided through civilian and local initiatives without leaving the people to the mercy of the local government and without creating political gains for them.

Efforts to save our captured people should be increased. Necessary support for our local resistance forces should be provided to this end.

We believe our rescued captives and our women being torn from their families and society to receive support in European therapy centers is not healthy, nor does it provide results. We call for the building of such support centers in our society, in our lands.”