Yazidi Youth Union members joined the human shield action held for over two months in Qandil against the Turkish state’s invasion attacks. The youth also held a memorial for the Yazidis massacred by ISIS gangs in 2014 in Kocho.

Roni Tolhildan read the statement and said, “We remember all our people who were martyred in the massacre.”

Tolhildan said:

“This massacre against our people aimed to eradicate the Yazidi people. In the face of this massacre, our people have self organized and built their self defense forces. Against this mindset that attempts massacres today in four parts of Kurdistan, we as the Yazidi youth are ready to make our bodies into shields. In these historic days that we need to face with unity, we are calling on everybody to come build our national unity and not let any new massacres happen.”

Torhildan said the following on their arrival in Qandil:

“Today the reason we have turned towards here is to prevent new massacres. We know that this mindset of war and massacre wants new massacres like Kocho and Til Hezir. And we are here to say that we won’t allow that and we will always resist. We will never let any new massacres happen.”

The statement concluded with slogans of “Bijî Serok Apo” (Long Live Leader Öcalan) and “Şehîd Namirin” (Martyrs are immortal).