The Central Executive Committee of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) has published a written statement marking the third year of the genocide against Êzidîs in Shengal. The statement reads as follows:

"We condemn the genocide of the Êzidî people utterly and commemorate those who lost their lives in the course of this genocide in Shengal. On 3 August 2014 ISIS gangs slaughtered in Shengal about 5000 children, women and the elderly Êzidîs, took thousands of Êzidîs captive and caused the displacement of around 200,000 people. The women were kidnapped and sold at markets into slavery.

This mass killing of the Êzidîs on 3 August 2014 has been recognized unanimously as the "Genocide of the Êzidîs" by the European Parliament. In the reports of international institutions this genocide has been categorized as a "crime against humanity". But in Turkey the political leadership did not even condemn this genocide.

Following the genocide, the Êzidîs who fled to Turkey were first accommodated in the camps organised by the municipalities held by the Democratic Regions’ Party (BDP). However after the state enforced its trustees on the municipalities those camps were shut down. And in the latest incident the Êzidîs who had been placed previously in the state-run AFAD refugee camp have been kicked out of there.

In order to ease the impact of the violence against the Êzidîs, the region’s states as well as the international community need to fulfil their task and responsibility.

We, the HDP are standing with the Êzidîs, who were left at the mercy of oppression, violence and massacres many a time in the course of their history, and we pay tribute to the Êzidîs who lost their lives in that genocide."