Sama
German Consul Claus Strecher delivered a speech at the Lalish Conference of Peace and Coexistence on 25/6/2024. He spoke about the genocide of the Yazidis and said that Germany will not forget the genocide and that our assistance to the Yazidis will continue.
In another part, he spoke about the reception of Yazidi refugees and said that we have opened our support and doors to many Yezidis and I am very proud to participate in this conference today as the representative of Germany and this is our red line.
In another section, the sexual violence against Yazidi women was discussed and he said: We will stop sexual violence against Yazidi women and we are still working on it. Analana Barbuch has visited Iraq twice and met with Yazidi girls and women. She saw Sinjar with her own eyes and also visited the village of Kocho, where a mass massacre was committed several years ago.
He continued his speech about the crimes of ISIS against the Yazidis and said: We must not forget the massacre, but it is true that we cannot return those who lost their lives, but we can work for justice. In 2023, the massacre against the Yszidis was recognized as genocide and since 2014, Germany has been working on this issue.
Germany is one of the leading countries that wants the perpetrators to be brought to justice, which is important for peace and for the victims to get through this stage psychologically. A center at Duhok University provides psychological assistance to survivors of ISIS.
Finally, he said: We ask Iraq and the Kurdistan Region to continue their assistance to the Yazidis and the refugees should not remain in the camps and an opportunity must be found that both the Iraqi and Kurdistan Regional Governments return the refugees to their places.