Qassim family in danger: deportation despite genocide against Yazidis?

Qassim family in danger: deportation despite genocide against Yazidis?

In the summer of 2014, the unthinkable happened: The terrorist militia IS invaded northern Iraq and committed cruel crimes against the Yazidis, a religious minority that had until then been living in their homeland in the Sinjar Mountains. Many people, like the Qassim family, only survived thanks to a dramatic escape, while their relatives were persecuted, murdered, kidnapped and enslaved. Years later they found refuge in Germany, where they were promised protection. But the hope of a safe life could now end suddenly, because the Qassim family is faced with the threat of deportation, which is justified by the claim that they are economic refugees and that their homeland is now safe again. A courageous step: The family has filed a lawsuit against this rejection decision, and journalists have been accompanying them on this rocky path for a year and a half, visiting them in their new home in Lychen, talking to their lawyers and assisting them at appointments with the authorities.

What a tragic turn in the history of the Yazidis! According to a current report by PRO ASYL and Wadi e.V., published on April 24, 2024, a return to Iraq is simply unacceptable for many Yazidis. On the occasion of the tenth anniversary of the genocide, the situation in Iraq is examined critically. In January 2023, the German Bundestag recognized the persecution of Yazidis as genocide, but despite this determination, several federal states are deporting people of Yazidi origin to Iraq. Karl Kopp from PRO ASYL draws a clear conclusion: “Deportations to an unsafe country are irresponsible.”

Precarious conditions in Iraq

The situation for the Yazidis in Iraq remains disastrous. Tens of thousands live in catastrophic conditions in refugee camps, with their return to their villages blocked by ongoing security problems and the influence of armed militias. The construction of the destroyed infrastructure - from water and electricity supplies to shops and jobs - is at a standstill. Luise Amtberg, the Federal Government's Human Rights Commissioner, visited the refugee camps and perceived the urgent needs of the local people first hand. Although the Iraqi government is planning to close these camps, there is a lack of realistic prospects of return for the residents, who continue to live in difficult conditions despite three billion euros in German aid.

• Schätzungen zufolge leben rund 250.000 Jesid*innen in Deutschland, die größte jesidische Diaspora in Europa.
• Ungefähr 5.000 bis 10.000 irakische Jesid*innen sind von Abschiebung bedroht.
• Der Wiederaufbau der Dörfer im Sindschar-Gebirge kommt nicht voran. Sicherheitsprobleme und ausländische Interessen beeinträchtigen den Prozess erheblich.

The voices calling for an immediate nationwide end to deportations are becoming louder. Yazidi organizations and supporters from civil society are pushing not only for legal clarification, but also for a conscious political decision not to send people who suffered from genocide back to the land of crime. Thomas von der Osten-Sacken von Wadi e.V. puts it in a nutshell: “Victims of genocide must not be sent back to the country in which they were persecuted.”

The situation remains dramatic and leaves no hope for the future. Families like the Qassims are examples of the challenges that must meet the need for protection of the Yazidis in Germany. The commitment of PRO ASYL and other organizations is essential to give these people a secure perspective.

For more information on this topic, read the detailed reports on radiothree, Refugee Council BW and daily news.