Draft proposal in Italian Parliament for recognizing Yazidi genocide
A draft proposal has been submitted to the Italian Parliament to recognize the massacres committed against the Yazidis as genocide, in a step aimed at acknowledging the crimes suffered by the Yazidis at the hands of ISIS mercenaries.
Laura Boldrini, a parliamentarian from the Democratic Party, submitted a draft proposal to the Italian Parliament to recognize the massacres committed by ISIS mercenaries against the Yazidi community during their attack on Shingal in August 2014 as genocide by the Italian government, according to ANF News Agency.
Yesterday, Friday, Laura Boldrini had the right to speak in the parliamentary session to defend her draft proposal, emphasizing the urgent need to recognize the crimes committed against the Yazidis as genocide as soon as possible within the framework of international law.
Boldrini recalled that countries such as Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Portugal, Ireland, Armenia, France, and Australia have already recognized the crimes committed by ISIS against the Yazidis as genocide, stressing that Italy should also take a clear stance on this issue.
She referred to Article 2 of the 1948 United Nations Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, stating: "Genocide, committed with the intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnic, racial, or religious group, includes killing members of the group, causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group, deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part, imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group, or forcibly transferring children of the group to another group."
The Italian parliamentarian affirmed that the Yazidis have been subjected to all the crimes described in these articles.
Boldrini also highlighted the history of the Yazidis and the importance of the system they built in Shingal, stating: "The Yazidis are a community with deep-rooted history and their own beliefs. However, this belief has been targeted by Islamic extremists."
She noted that in 2014, ISIS occupied Shingal, killing more than 5,000 people and kidnapping over 6,000 women and children, adding that even today, tens of thousands of Yazidis remain displaced from their homes and continue to be targeted repeatedly by Turkish airstrikes.
Left without protection
In her speech, Boldrini reminded that the Yazidis were left defenseless against ISIS, stating: "While the genocide was taking place, the Yazidis were left unprotected by the Iraqi army and Peshmerga forces who were present in the area at the time. These units withdrew despite outnumbering the attackers, forcing the Yazidi people to engage in a desperate but determined resistance against the blind violence of ISIS."
Recognizing the genocide is essential for justice
She asserted that the international community remained silent about the genocide suffered by the Yazidis in 2014, emphasizing that official recognition of this crime is essential for achieving justice. Boldrini added: "On March 26, 2019, the Foreign Affairs Committee of Parliament adopted a resolution urging the government to alert the international community and consider appropriate ways to recognize the genocide committed against the Yazidis. However, since then, no government in power has implemented this decision. Therefore, it is now crucial for Parliament to take a clear stance on this issue."
In conclusion, she called on Parliament to officially recognize the genocide committed against the Yazidis.
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