Sema
After Dr. Ilhan Kizilhan, the researcher and scholar, was awarded Germany’s highest federal honor, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said that we need people like him in many places around the world to treat trauma, so the effects of genocide and crimes do not persist for generations.
Annalena Baerbock presented the Federal Cross of Merit to Dr. Ilhan Kizilhan at the Foreign Ministry in Berlin on Friday, March 21, 2025.
Dr. Ilhan Kizilhan, a specialist in psychological therapy, has been conducting research in this field for over 25 years and has helped thousands of Yazidis during the ISIS war.
The German Foreign Minister said, “It is a great honor for me to be able to present this award, the Federal Cross of Merit, to Dr. Ilhan Kizilhan, because through his work, he not only provides help for cross-cultural cooperation, not only for Germany, but his work is also incredibly important for international relations.”
In 2014, Dr. Ilhan Kizilhan went with a team to the Kurdistan region and provided psychological support to those affected by trauma, especially the Yazidis. Later, through the coordination of the Kurdistan Regional Government, the Iraqi government, and Germany, they brought 1,100 Yazidis to Germany.
Baerbock further explained, “(Ilhan) has been my companion on all my trips. We first met during a trip to Iraq, when I was serving as a member of the federal parliament at the time. I visited his trauma center in Dohuk and saw what could be done after trauma, after genocide, after a community and individuals, especially women, face such a situation, and how they can be supported.”
The German Foreign Minister emphasized, “This not only gives the victims strength, but it is also hope for diplomacy; it is hope for reconciliation. We need Dr. Ilhan’s work in many crisis-stricken places around the world to treat trauma so that genocide and crimes do not persist for generations. That is why it is such a great honor, and such a privilege that he is active in Germany, but of course, in Iraq and in the future, also in Syria. This will be extremely important.”
The Federal Cross of Merit is awarded in the fields of politics, economics, culture, intellectual contributions, and recognition of service.
It was first established by Theodor Heuss, the President of Germany at the time, in 1951, and to date, this award has been granted to 262,532 Germans and foreigners in Germany.
Statement by German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock:
“It is a great honor for me to be able to present this award, the Federal Cross of Merit, to Dr. Ilhan Kizilhan, because through his work, he not only provides help for cross-cultural cooperation, not only for Germany, but his work is also incredibly important for international relations. He has been my companion on all my trips. We first met during a trip to Iraq, when I was serving as a member of the federal parliament at the time. I visited his trauma center in Dohuk and saw what could be done after trauma, after genocide, after a community and individuals, especially women, face such a situation, and how they can be supported. This not only gives the victims strength, but it is also hope for diplomacy; it is hope for reconciliation. We need Dr. Ilhan’s work in many crisis-stricken places around the world to treat trauma so that genocide and crimes do not persist for generations. That is why it is such a great honor, and such a privilege that he is active in Germany, but of course, in Iraq and in the future, also in Syria. This will be extremely important.”