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Yezidi Survivor “Nadia” Tells Her Story in London | ASHARQ AL-AWSAT English Archive 2005 -2017
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Yezidi Survivor “Nadia” Tells Her Story in London


Yezidi Survivor “Nadia” Tells Her Story in London

Yezidi Survivor “Nadia” Tells Her Story in London

London-The Iraqi Democratic Movement arranged in London, in coordination with Trade Union Congress House, a talk session with the Kurdish survivor from ISIS Nadia Murad, who is nominated to receive “Nobel Peace Prize”,

The ISIS sex slave survivor, who saw her family slaughtered before she was taken into captivity, has called for humanity to “unite” against the terrorist monsters.

Nadia Murad, 21, was orphaned by ISIS, who killed her mother and six brothers in Sinjar, Northern Iraq, and taken by the group and kept as a sex slave.

Murad has been campaigning in UK for two months since her release seeking to raise awareness of the plight of the Yazidi people. “When I speak I didn’t speak just on my behalf, but on behalf of all the women and children affected in the war zone,” she said.

She was among more than 5,000 Yazidi women taken captive when ISIS took Sinjar. More than 3,400 remain in captivity, she said.

“A year and a half has passed and the genocide against the Yazidis is continuous. We die every day because we see the world silent in the face of our plight,” she said.

Describing the massacre of her family, Murad said: “My mother saw them killing my brothers and then they took my mother and killed her.

“I was already orphaned as I didn’t have a father, all I had in the war was my mother,” she said.

“But when they took me to Mosul and raped me, I forgot my mother and brothers. Because what they were doing to the women was more difficult than death.”

“Imagine until now, for more than a year and a half, girls as young as nine are being rented and sold [for sex].”

“About 5,800 Yazidi women and children were captured by ISIS. They have killed many people in Iraq and Syria and displaced millions,” Murad said.

“For us, the Yazidis, they killed the men and took the women and children. They were committing all kinds of crimes; murder, rape and displacing people by force in the name of Islam. Many people may think my story is difficult, but many more had more difficult than mine. They killed six of my brothers, but there are families that have lost 10 brothers,” she said.

“At this moment, there are still 3,400 women in the hands of ISIS. All we are asking is that our women are freed.”

Miss Murad added that the community had lost trust in the government as the Yazidis can’t return to Sinjar without protection.

During her speech at the Trade Union Congress House in London, she branded ISIS “criminals” and compelled the global community to “come on board” in the fight against them.

The session was attended by important figures and organizations including the Trades Union Congress, the Iraqi Embassy in Britain, churches, civil society organizations and a large number of intellects, writers and Arab activists from various Arab countries. Nadia was accompanied by Murad Ismail, her personal assistant in her global campaign and the Director of YAZDA organization.