Yazidi Justice Campaign - YLN #YazidiJustice
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“I know life must go on, but it is a process that can only be done if the truth is told and we have justice. But without knowledge, there can be no justice.”
On 3 August 2014, ISIS fighters attacked the Sinjar district of Iraq. The attack marked the beginning of a campaign of brutal violence by ISIS to eliminate the Yazidi community and their culture in Iraq.
An abundance of evidence of international crimes committed by ISIS was made available by several organisations including ISIS itself, as they widely publicized the crimes they committed against the Yazidis, including using the UN reports about those crimes as
Around 3,000 Yazidi have sought refuge in the Netherlands as well as thousands more in other European countries. Members of the community are now seeking justice and accountability in Europe for the crimes committed against them as Iraqi and Kurdish courts are unable to investigate and prosecute cases.
A group of victims and witnesses based in the Netherlands turned to the Nuhanovic Foundation, Centre for War Reparations (NF) with the request to assist them in investigating and collecting evidence for the crimes committed against them in order to be able to obtain redress and reparations. The Nuhanovic Foundation welcomed the initiative and together with representatives of the Yazidi community in the Netherlands established the Yazidi Legal Network (YLN), to support the Yazidi present in the Netherlands and their communities in Iraq, Syria and around the world, in their pursuit of recognition of the crimes committed against them and accountability for the perpetrators of those crimes.
Achievements of Yazidi Legal Network
Since 2019, the Yazidi Legal Network has developed four strands of activities:
- establishing an international network of activists, experts and lawyers working for justice for the Yazidis;
- organising capacity building in the field of international criminal law for members of the Yazidi community in the Netherlands;
- conducting outreach through YLN’s Yazidi Ambassadors/members of the network; supporting members to participate in and also organise conferences and lectures; disseminating educational tools/materials, including through Amnesty International’s student groups
- developing a database containing information about the crimes and the mechanisms for redress and accountability
- setting up advisory services for national and international accountability mechanisms to assist building files or dossiers containing information about alleged individual perpetrators and companies that may be held complicit in committing international crimes against Yazidis.
The network includes national and international organizations and individuals working pro bono in the area of reporting on the fate of the Yazidis and justice and accountability for the crimes committed against them, i.e. historians, social scientists, journalists, lawyers, members of the police and prosecutors.
In the field of capacity building, we have organized a series of trainings on topics including universal jurisdiction, international crimes and methods of open source investigations, sharing, securing and storing of information.
It is the mission of Yazidi Legal Network to contribute to efforts to achieve redress and reparations for the Yazidi victims of international crimes. The Network seeks to act as a bridge between the Yazidi community, organisations working on accountability for international crimes, and national and international mechanisms prosecuting crimes committed against the Yazidi. At the Dutch national level, we want to fill the gap between international justice efforts and documentation efforts in Iraq and Syria.
The Yazidi Legal Network provides a safe platform for community members, experts, lawyers, and academics. This enables sharing of information, development of initiatives, the establishment of relationships and the provision of support and direction. The Network facilitates and empowers the Yazidi community to have direct access to a range of actors relevant to their pursuit of justice.
At the centre of the organisation are the Ambassadors of the Yazidi community in the Netherlands. They are representatives of the Iraqi, Syrian and Kurdish Yazidi communities. They participate in capacity building activities and are involved in all of the organisation’s other activities. They act as a bridge between the community, the organisation and the wider network of agencies that work towards justice for the Yazidi.
Your donation, large or small, supports our mission. Please contribute what you can and encourage others to do the same. 100% of the funds raised will support Yazidi Legal Network become independent, support our Capacity building, Research and case monitoring, documentation of oral histories/narratives, Advocacy and media work and Outreach activities.
If you have any questions or wish for more information, please visit our website, our social media channels or email us.
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Thank you for your support!
On 3 August 2014, ISIS fighters attacked the Sinjar district of Iraq. The attack marked the beginning of a campaign of brutal violence by ISIS to eliminate the Yazidi community and their culture in Iraq.
An abundance of evidence of international crimes committed by ISIS was made available by several organisations including ISIS itself, as they widely publicized the crimes they committed against the Yazidis, including using the UN reports about those crimes as
Around 3,000 Yazidi have sought refuge in the Netherlands as well as thousands more in other European countries. Members of the community are now seeking justice and accountability in Europe for the crimes committed against them as Iraqi and Kurdish courts are unable to investigate and prosecute cases.
A group of victims and witnesses based in the Netherlands turned to the Nuhanovic Foundation, Centre for War Reparations (NF) with the request to assist them in investigating and collecting evidence for the crimes committed against them in order to be able to obtain redress and reparations. The Nuhanovic Foundation welcomed the initiative and together with representatives of the Yazidi community in the Netherlands established the Yazidi Legal Network (YLN), to support the Yazidi present in the Netherlands and their communities in Iraq, Syria and around the world, in their pursuit of recognition of the crimes committed against them and accountability for the perpetrators of those crimes.
Achievements of Yazidi Legal Network
Since 2019, the Yazidi Legal Network has developed four strands of activities:
- establishing an international network of activists, experts and lawyers working for justice for the Yazidis;
- organising capacity building in the field of international criminal law for members of the Yazidi community in the Netherlands;
- conducting outreach through YLN’s Yazidi Ambassadors/members of the network; supporting members to participate in and also organise conferences and lectures; disseminating educational tools/materials, including through Amnesty International’s student groups
- developing a database containing information about the crimes and the mechanisms for redress and accountability
- setting up advisory services for national and international accountability mechanisms to assist building files or dossiers containing information about alleged individual perpetrators and companies that may be held complicit in committing international crimes against Yazidis.
The network includes national and international organizations and individuals working pro bono in the area of reporting on the fate of the Yazidis and justice and accountability for the crimes committed against them, i.e. historians, social scientists, journalists, lawyers, members of the police and prosecutors.
In the field of capacity building, we have organized a series of trainings on topics including universal jurisdiction, international crimes and methods of open source investigations, sharing, securing and storing of information.
It is the mission of Yazidi Legal Network to contribute to efforts to achieve redress and reparations for the Yazidi victims of international crimes. The Network seeks to act as a bridge between the Yazidi community, organisations working on accountability for international crimes, and national and international mechanisms prosecuting crimes committed against the Yazidi. At the Dutch national level, we want to fill the gap between international justice efforts and documentation efforts in Iraq and Syria.
The Yazidi Legal Network provides a safe platform for community members, experts, lawyers, and academics. This enables sharing of information, development of initiatives, the establishment of relationships and the provision of support and direction. The Network facilitates and empowers the Yazidi community to have direct access to a range of actors relevant to their pursuit of justice.
At the centre of the organisation are the Ambassadors of the Yazidi community in the Netherlands. They are representatives of the Iraqi, Syrian and Kurdish Yazidi communities. They participate in capacity building activities and are involved in all of the organisation’s other activities. They act as a bridge between the community, the organisation and the wider network of agencies that work towards justice for the Yazidi.
Your donation, large or small, supports our mission. Please contribute what you can and encourage others to do the same. 100% of the funds raised will support Yazidi Legal Network become independent, support our Capacity building, Research and case monitoring, documentation of oral histories/narratives, Advocacy and media work and Outreach activities.
If you have any questions or wish for more information, please visit our website, our social media channels or email us.
Thank you for your support!
Organiser and beneficiary
Hope Rikkelman
Organiser
Amsterdam
Nuhanovic Foundation
Beneficiary