PUK's efforts grant Yazidis ownership of their lands, UN commends the decision

Kurdistan 11:54 AM - 2023-01-07

PUK's efforts grant Yazidis ownership of their lands, UN commends the decision

By efforts of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), the decision to grant Yazidis ownership of their lands in Sinjar, the home of the Yazidis located in Nineveh province, was approved. The move, which was demanded by PUK President Bafel Jalal Talabani prior to the formation of the new Iraqi Cabinet, was praised by the United Nations (UN).

The decision to register the properties in Sinjar is attributed to President Bafel since the PUK had a significant role in resolving the matter and restoring the rights of Sinjar's residents. This decision was the result of the work, role, and connections of President Bafel with Iraqi politicians and parties.

On January 4th, 2023, the Iraqi Prime Minister and the United Nations issued a joint statement on the decision to grant Yazidis ownership of their lands in Sinjar after 47 years of denial.

The statement which was published by United Nation's Assistance Mission in Iraq (UNAMI) said: "Thousands of Yazidi families in the Sinjar district of Nineveh Governate have been deprived of owning their residential lands since 1975, due to discriminative policies."

It added: "On 27 December, the Council of Ministers approved a decree that contributes to a comprehensive solution for Yazidis with regards to land ownership. The decree grants ownership of residential lands and houses to the occupants of the 11 residential collective townships."

For his part, Mohammed Shia' Al-Sudani, Iraqi Prime Minister, said: "The Iraqi government's decision to grant Yazidi Iraqis ownership of their houses in Sinjar, which they have been deprived of for more than 47 years due to the unjust exclusionary policies by the former dictatorial regime, comes in the context of the Iraqi government's clear and explicit endeavor, to protect the rights of the Iraqi components, especially the beloved Yazidi community in Sinjar and the Nineveh."

The Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General for Iraq and Head of UNAMI, Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert welcomed “the critical step taken by the Council of Ministers, which finally brings the security of tenure to thousands of Yazidis in relation to their housing, land, and property rights”. She added: “The decree constitutes an official recognition of the ownership of their lands and houses, ends decades of discrimination, and will hopefully ease and encourage the return of Yazidis to Nineveh”.

The decision was reached thanks to the efforts of the PUK and President Bafel

"It is the right decision, and we have been waiting for it for a long time," Sheikh Elias Baba Sheikh, a Yazidi figure and former representative of President Mam Jalal in the PUK's Duhok Organization Center, told PUKMEDIA.

"The PUK played an influential role in resolving the issue and restoring the rights of the Yazidis, and President Bafel's efforts and role, as well as his relationships with Iraqi political figures and parties, led to the issuance of this decision," he said.

"The Sinjar file is a complex file involving many parties, but the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) does not want to resolve issues in these areas... the Sinjar issue requires additional efforts to reach a final solution," he added.

President Bafel's efforts led to the decision

Daud Jundi, a member of the PUK's Leadership Council, stated: "The PUK President requested the Iraqi Prime Minister to implement this decision."

"This decision is the result of President Bafel's efforts," he continued. "President Bafel had urged for its implementation prior to the formation of the new Iraqi Government. 

"The Yazidis have been promised protection of their rights by the PUK President in the past," he added.

The PUK Leadership Council member remarked: "The decision was being pushed for since the government of Mustafa Al-Kadhimi (former Iraqi Prime Minister), but it has not been implemented then."

President Bafel praises the Iraqi Prime Minister

President Bafel expressed his support for the Iraqi Prime Minister's choice in a message, saying: "After being denied and marginalized for a long time, the PUK views this ruling as restoring the rights of the Yazidi brothers and sisters. We also appreciate the prime minister's courageous choice."

"The government gratefully replied to the PUK's requests and agenda submitted during the agreement on the formation of the new Iraqi government, which included these actions and choices to restore the rights of the Yezidis," he stated. "This action will significantly contribute to the restoration of our Yazidi brothers and sisters' rights and put an end to the long-standing oppression they have experienced. It is also a step toward the region's reconstruction, the return of displaced people, the restoration of stability, peace, and security in Sinjar and other areas that suffered greatly as a result of the terrorist group Islamic State's (ISIS) occupation, and an end to the suffering of our people there."



Translated from Kurdish and edited by Hiran Halwan
PUKMEDIA