Pro Asyl Demands Permanent Right to Stay in Germany for Yazidi Refugees

On the twelfth anniversary of the genocide against Yazidis in northern Iraq, the human rights organization Pro Asyl has demanded permanent residency for Yazidi refugees in Germany. A moratorium on deportations must be in effect until then. - AFP

To mark the twelfth anniversary of the genocide against Yazidis in northern Iraq, the human rights organisation Pro Asyl has demanded a permanent right to stay in Germany for Yazidi refugees. Until this is anchored at the federal level, the organisation demanded on Saturday in Berlin that at the very least a general deportation freeze must apply. Commemorative speeches alone, it said, are not enough to protect the victims of the genocide.

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The 2014 Attack on Sinjar

Fighters of the jihadist militia Islamic State (IS) overran the Yazidi settlement areas in the Sinjar region on 3 August 2014. They killed thousands of people and abducted Yazidi women and girls in particular as sex slaves. Several German courts later convicted IS members involved on charges of genocide. On 19 January 2023, the Bundestag also classified the acts as genocide.

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Pro Asyl's Appeal to Policymakers

"Whoever recognises the genocide takes on responsibility for the survivors, and must live up to that responsibility through political action," said Pro Asyl managing director Karl Kopp. The organisation pointed out that deportations from Germany to Iraq have risen sharply in recent years. Religious affiliation is not recorded in these cases, but it must be assumed that Yazidis are among those affected.

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Fragile Security Situation in Sinjar

According to Pro Asyl, the security situation in the Sinjar region remains highly fragile. Houses and infrastructure have been destroyed in many places. Many Yazidis also fear a new genocide, Pro Asyl warned, pointing to the resurgence of jihadist forces in the region.

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Where Yazidis Have Resettled

One of the biggest diaspora communities of Yazidis is now in Germany, with around 200,000 members living here. Further diaspora communities exist in the USA, France, Belgium, Denmark, Sweden, Switzerland and Austria. Since deportation freezes declared by several German states have long since expired, the organisation is pressing the Bundestag and Bundesrat to act, so as to give Yazidi refugees a reliable perspective to remain in Germany.

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