The German parliament voted to recognise the prosecution and killing of thousands of Yezidi by the Islamic State (IS) as genocide with the backing of all party groups.
The resolution, which was unanimously passed in the Bundestag on Thursday refers to atrocities committed by the Islamic State in Syria and Northern Iraq.
“Six million people became internally displaced or international refugees in Iraq alone as a result of the indescribable atrocities – many of them still have not been able to return to their homeland,” the resolution reads.
Based on the argument that “the IS especially pursued the aim of a complete extinction of the Yazidi community,” the parliament concludes that the IS’ actions can be classed as genocide based on the definition of the United Nations Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide.
Belgium and the Netherlands, among other countries, have taken similar steps in the past.
Germany is home to the biggest Yezidi diaspora population in the world, according to the resolution, which adds that “the Bundestag will emphatically push for the protection of Yazidi life” in the country.
Representatives of the community, in turn, welcomed the step. The decision “is of enormous importance, if not elementary,” Zemfira Dlovani, chair of the Yazidi Central Council in Germany, said on public TV.
(Julia Dahm | EURACTIV.de)
Source: euractiv.com
