Shengal Women’s Units (YJŞ) Command has issued a written statement on the 3rd anniversary of the genocidal attacks of August 3, 2014 on Shengal and stated that the forces responsible for the defense of Shengal abandoned the Êzidîs to face the massacre and the whole world looked away from the massacre. The statement said nobody except the HPG, YJA-Star and YPG/YPJ forces did anything to stop the massacre.

The statement issued by the YJŞ on the 4th anniversary of the massacre included the following:

“In the 21st century, in front of the whole world to see, a great genocide happened in Shengal on August 3, 2014. Because some people wanted to destroy the existence and culture of the sacred Êzidxan (“Land of Êzidîs”), which prevailed as the cradle of humanity throughout history and managed to protect itself against 72 genocides, in the person of women and children and remove it from history. Before the firman in Shengal, women were almost groomed for the 73rd genocide by the male mindset. Thousands of women threw themselves off cliffs to not fall captive. But despite all the lack of resources and all the hardship, many women stayed in their country and continued their lives in tents to create life once again in these sacred lands.

HPG/YJA-STAR AND YPG/YPJ CAME TO OUR RESCUE

“Thousands of women were killed in these attacks that aimed to destroy the Êzidxan culture, while thousands of others were sold in markets in Mosul and Raqqa. Forces that settled in these lands to protect the Shengal mountain and the people during these destructive attacks turned their back on the Êzidî people in this genocide and fled. The ones who came to the people’s rescue during this genocide were the fighters of Kurdistan. While this genocide was happening to our people, the whole world had turned away from this massacre and some abandoned us during this apocalypse. YPG and YPJ forces opened a humanitarian corridor for us, Kurdistan’s fighters HPG and YJA-Star forces came down from the mountains to the plains to rush to the people’s rescue.

TO AVENGE ÊZIDÎ WOMEN

“Led by these forces, an unlimited resistance was displayed in sacred Shengal and many of our comrades were heroically martyred on this path. Also led by the YJA-Star and YPJ, Êzidî women took up arms and created the fighting force against ISIS. We as the Êzidî women organized ourselves with the ideology of Leader Apo, who builds upon the freedom of women, and formed our army the YJŞ with a promise to avenge Êzidî women. With the founding of the YJŞ, we as the Êzidî women took our place in every operation in Shengal and fought in every area on the basis of the freedom of Êzidî women. Our participation in the Great Battle in Raqqa also serves the same purpose, to avenge Êzidî women and liberate the still-enslaved Êzidî women from ISIS gangs.

STRUGGLE FOR CERTAIN FREEDOM

“We as the YJŞ no longer discuss the genocides in Shengal, we discuss the developments that were possible through Leader Apo and the martyrs of this cause, and the resistance and struggle that ensued. On this basis, we will not be allowing any genocides or massacres from now on. We as the Êzidî women are taking a free identity and will for ourselves. Any and all steps taken to organize, emancipate and defend Shengali women are against the forces that carried out the massacres. With this in mind, we salute all martyrs of the 73rd genocide once more with respect. We say that we will increase our struggle handed down by our martyrs in all areas and with all methods until the freedom of Êzidî women is certain.”