Germany Pledges Three Million Euros for Yazidi Memorial
Get ready to hear about an eye-opening initiative! The German Bundestag has pledged a hefty sum of three million euros for the construction of a memorial honoring the Yazidi community. This "remembrance corner" aims to commemorate the horrific genocide suffered by the Yazidis in Iraq and Syria in 2014. The Bundestag's Finance Committee needs a broadly supported motion from the Yazidi community in Germany to kick-start the project, as reported to AFP by the Bundestag.
The idea was predominantly driven by SPD human rights advocate Derya Türk-Nachbaur. She explained, "The proposed memorial will stand as a central hub of communal remembrance for the Yazidi community. With this project, we're turning our petition for genocide recognition into action and making a significant contribution towards healing the past and integration."
Germany is home to an estimated 250,000 people with Yazidi roots. Many survivors of the 2014 IS-led genocide have found a new home here. They can now contribute to the work of remembrance, acting as a bridge between past and present.
In 2014, the Islamist conquest of Sinjar Mountains in northern Iraq left an indelible mark on the Yazidis, who have lived there for centuries. IS militants enslaved women and girls, recruited children as soldiers, and murdered thousands of men in their territories in northern Iraq and Syria.
Tragically, approximately 5,000 people met their end, and about 3,000 are still missing with no trace found. Roughly 300,000 Yazidis now call the camps for internally displaced persons in northern Iraq their home.
The three million euros allocated by the Bundestag's Finance Committee will be used to create a memorial site in Germany, honoring and remembering the Yazidi community that survived this genocide in Iraq and Syria in 2014. The memorial serves as a space for reflection, furthering Germany's application for acknowledgment of the atrocities committed against the Yazidis.
The Yazidi diaspora in Germany, consisting of around 250,000 people, can utilize their presence to contribute to the healing process and help their community move forward. The project, advocating reconciliation and inclusion, is spearheaded by SPD human rights advocate Derya Türk-Nachbaur.
Enrichment Insight The German Bundestag has formally recognized the crimes against the Yazidi community as genocide. However, a specific allocation of funds for the Yazidi memorial has not been explicitly mentioned in the search results. The Bundestag resolution, passed on January 19, 2023, urged legal proceedings against the perpetrators and assistance in rebuilding Yazidi villages. Yet, the resolution did not mention any specific funding for the memorial [2].
The purpose and anticipated effects of a memorial for the Yazidis would likely be honor the victims, raise awareness, and serve as a place for reflection and remembrance. The memorial would symbolize solidarity with the Yazidi community and play an integral role in the broader effort to prevent future genocides by highlighting the importance of upholding human rights and staving off mass atrocities [5].
