Prosecute and punish the perpetrators of sexual violence against Yazidis as a crime against humanity, even the possible genocide committed by ISIS
Authors:
- Taib Aziz Sadiq Kasnazany
- ORCID:
Yazidis, Sinjar, Religious Minority, Crime of Sexual Violence, Crime against Humanity, Genocide, ICC, ISIS
Abstract:
On the 3rd of August 2014, ISIS fighters attacked the Sinjar region in northern of Iraq, mostly populated by Yazidis, a religious minority. In almost 3 days, most of the villages in the region were vacated and their residents captured. These events mark the beginning of a campaign of extreme violence that has left men and women apart. Adult men were massacred while girls and women were held for sale as sex slaves. More than 7 years after these events, no prosecution has been brought by International Criminal Court. States are unwilling to try their nationals guilty of crimes of genocide against the Yazidis. This paper aims to analyze the genocide of the Yazidis from the perspective of sexual violence and in particular to determine whether it can be considered to the status of genocide. The origins and legal sources of the genocide are first analyzed. This violence is then examined in the light of certain elements constituting the crime of genocide. Finally, the challenges to be met in the fight against impunity in International Criminal Court are mentioned in the conclusion.
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