The Movement for a Democratic Society (TEV-DEM) issued a written statement regarding the latest developments in Shengal (Sinjar), and the Iraqi government's efforts to undermine the will of the Yazidis in Shengal in agreement with the KDP and the Turkish state.

The text of the statement reads:

“On August 3, 2014, when ISIS attacked Shengal province, the Iraqi army forces, Peshmerga and KDP (Kurdistan Democratic Party) left the Yazidi community face their inevitable fate, with mass murder, enslavement the Yazidi women, killing, mass exodus in implementing the decree 73rd against the Yazidi community. This was a humanitarian catastrophe at the beginning of the twenty-first century with direct support from the Turkish State and the negligence of the governments of Baghdad and Hewler, without expressing any position or issuing any statement of condemnation.

The Yazidi community in Shengal defended its values, culture and historical heritage, and offered its best to protect itself from this terrorism.

Were it not for the humanitarian and moral intervention of the People's Protection Units (YPG) from Rojava to save the lives of hundreds of thousands of our Yazidi community, the massacre of the century and more crimes against humanity would have occurred.

The Yazidi community in Shengal has resisted and defeated terrorism and established its Democratic Autonomous Administration thanks to the efforts of the fighters of the Shengal Resistance Units, the Women’s Resistance Units and Asayîşa Êzidxanê Forces, and they provided thousands of martyrs to protect themselves and Iraq.

Iraq will be more beautiful when the free will of the Yazidis is recognized. So how can a federal Iraq deny the Yazidi presence to this extent, not accept their belonging to the Iraqi identity, and work to close the crossings and outlets with the cities overlooking Shengal for more than three months?

This is a provocative measure and paves the way for sowing sectarian strife, which may start in other regions, as is the case in Baghdad.

Iraq must avoid the agreements with Erbil and Ankara against the values ​​of the Yazidi community in Shengal, since this does not serve Iraq and its people. The greatest beneficiaries are those who left Shengal and its people without protection from ISIS terrorism first, then the Turkish occupation state, which uses all methods to completely empty Shengal of the Yazidis and to settle the extremist Islamists there, and to launch air strikes whenever it wants to undermine the will of the Yazidi community in Shengal. This has caused so far the martyrdom of dozens, injury of hundreds and destruction of their property and damage in front of the eyes of the world.

Our Kurdish people in general, the Yazidis in particular, and all civil society organizations everywhere, should mobilize their potentials, to be holders of positions befitting the will of the Yazidi community in Shengal who are facing a new decree today.

The Iraqi government should be aware of the interest of the Iraqi people and any wrong decision will contribute to the revival of ISIS in all of Iraq."