UN: Assault on Yazidis may be Genocide Attempt

UN: Assault on Yazidis may be Genocide Attempt
Wed Oct 22, 2014 10:46:36

A United Nations official says evidence strongly indicates that the ISIS group's assault on Iraq's Yazidi religious minority is “an attempt to commit genocide.”

Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights Ivan Simonovic spoke to reporters Tuesday after a weeklong visit to Iraq, where he spoke with at least 30 Yazidis from various parts of the country.

Hundreds of Yazidis were killed as the ISIS group swept across parts of northern and western Iraq in August. Tens of thousands fled for their lives, most to the Kurdish-held parts of northern Iraq. Hundreds of women and girls were captured by terrorists.

An estimated 7,000 Yazidis stayed and have been forced to convert to the ISIS's harsh interpretation of religion.

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