UK Officially Recognizes Islamic State’s Atrocities Against Yazidis as Genocide

The UK government formally recognized on Tuesday that the atrocities committed by the Islamic State (IS) against the Yazidi people in Iraq were acts of genocide. This acknowledgment followed a landmark ruling by the German Federal Court of Justice, convicting a former IS member of genocide and crimes against humanity. The UK has previously recognized four other instances of genocide, including the Holocaust and the mass killings in Cambodia, Rwanda, and Bosnia. “The Yazidi population suffered immensely at the hands of Daesh [Islamic State] nine years ago, and the repercussions are still felt to this day,” said Tariq Ahmad, the UK’s minister of state for the Middle East, North Africa, South Asia, and United Nations, in a statement. “Justice and accountability are key for those whose lives have been devastated.” The announcement comes before events marking the nine-year anniversary of IS atrocities against the Yazidis. In 2014, IS seized large territories in Syria and Iraq and attacked the Yazidi community, resulting in the deaths and abductions of thousands. The conviction of Taha Al-Jumailly in Germany marked the first time an IS member was found guilty of genocide.