Iraqi lawmaker says IS killed dozens of captive Yazidis
| Publisher | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |
| Publication Date | 3 May 2015 |
| Cite as | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Iraqi lawmaker says IS killed dozens of captive Yazidis, 3 May 2015, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5565ba6d15.html [accessed 17 September 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
May 03, 2015
Members of the minority Yazidi sect who were released by Islamic State hug each other on the outskirts of Kirkuk on April 8.
A Yazidi lawmaker in Iraq has said that Islamic State (IS) militants killed at least 25 captive Yazidis at a prison camp in northern Iraq.
Mahma Khalil said the militants killed the captives on May 1 in the town of Tal Afar, near the IS-controlled northern city of Mosul.
Khalil said on May 2 he believed some 1,400 other Yazidis are still held in that camp.
Earlier, the Yazidi Progress Party was quoted by the Iraqi news website Shafaq News as saying IS militants had killed more than 300 captured members of the Yazidi community in Tal Afar.
The allegations could not be independently verified.
Tens of thousands of Yazidis fled in August when the IS group captured the northern Iraqi town of Sinjar, near the Syrian border.
But hundreds were taken captive by the group, with some Yazidi women forced into slavery, according to international rights groups and Iraqi officials.
The Sunni militant group views Yazidis as apostates deserving of death, and has demanded Christians either convert to Islam or pay a special tax.
Based on reporting by AP and dpa
Link to original story on RFE/RL website