| Part of Genocide of Yazidis by ISIL and the War in Iraq (2013–2017) | |
|---|---|
| Location | Mosul, Nineveh Governorate, Iraq |
| Date | 2–4 June 2016 (reported) |
| Timezone | UTC+03:00 |
| Type | Execution by burning, mass murder, war crime |
| Target | Captive Yazidi women |
| Deaths | 19 |
| Injured | 0 |
| Perpetrator(s) | Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) |
| Motive | Punitive execution for refusing to serve as sex slaves |
| Weapon(s) | Flammable liquid, iron cages |
In early June 2016, 19 captive Yazidi women were executed by burning in Mosul, Iraq, by members of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). According to local activists, witnesses, and regional news agencies, the victims were placed inside iron cages in a public square in central Mosul and burned to death after refusing to submit to ISIL fighters as sex slaves.[1][2]
The incident highlighted the systematic sexual violence and atrocities committed against the Yazidi religious minority, which have been recognized by the United Nations and international courts as a genocide.[3]
Background[edit | edit source]
In August 2014, ISIL forces attacked the Sinjar region in northern Iraq, the ancestral homeland of the Yazidi people. During the offensive, ISIL militants executed thousands of Yazidi men and older women and abducted an estimated 6,000 to 7,000 Yazidi women and children.[4]
ISIL established an institutionalized system of sexual slavery, establishing human slave markets (*sabiya*) across ISIL-controlled territories in Iraq and Syria, including Mosul and Raqqa. Captive women and girls were bought, sold, traded, and subjected to forced conversions to Islam, forced marriages, and routine sexual assault.[5] Those who resisted demands or attempted to escape faced severe physical torture, confinement, or summary execution.[6]
Execution[edit | edit source]
Between 2 June and 4 June 2016, reports emerged from local observers in Mosul that ISIL had selected 19 Yazidi women who were being held in captivity.[7] According to local activist Abdullah al-Malla and witnesses cited by regional and international media, the women had openly refused to comply with orders to serve as sex slaves for ISIL combatants.[1]
In response, ISIL officials arranged a public execution in central Mosul. The 19 women were brought to a central square, locked inside large iron cages, and doused with flammable liquid. In the presence of hundreds of local spectators who were forced or gathered to watch, ISIL militants set the cages on fire, burning all 19 women to death.[2][8]
This execution method—public immolation inside metal cages—mirrored previous high-profile executions conducted by ISIL, such as the burning alive of Jordanian pilot Muath al-Kasasbeh in early 2015.[6]
International reaction and aftermath[edit | edit source]
The incident was widely reported by international news outlets and human rights organizations, drawing renewed international focus to the plight of thousands of Yazidi women remaining in ISIL captivity.[1][2]
In mid-June 2016, shortly after reports of the execution circulated, the United Nations Human Rights Council released a major report formalizing the finding that ISIL was committing genocide against the Yazidi population under the Genocide Convention, detailing acts including mass executions, forced conversions, and systematic sexual enslavement.[3]
Following the Battle of Mosul (2016–2017) and the liberation of the city by Iraqi security forces and allied coalition troops in July 2017, numerous mass graves and torture sites utilized by ISIL were uncovered across Nineveh Governorate.[9]
See also[edit | edit source]
- Execution by burning
- Nadia Murad
- Sexual violence in the ISIL insurgency
- Human rights in ISIL-controlled territory
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Dearden, Lizzie (6 June 2016). "Isis burns 19 Yazidi women to death in Mosul for 'refusing to have sex with fighters'". The Independent. Retrieved 10 September 2023.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 McKay, Hollie (6 June 2016). "ISIS burns 19 Yazidi women alive in iron cages for refusing sex". Fox News. Retrieved 10 September 2023.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 "They Came to Destroy": ISIS Crimes Against the Yazidis (Report). Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. 15 June 2016. Retrieved 10 September 2023.
- ↑ Iraq: ISIS Escapees Describe Systematic Rape (Report). Human Rights Watch. 14 April 2015. Retrieved 10 September 2023.
- ↑ Escape from Hell: Torture and Sexual Slavery in Islamic State Captivity in Iraq (Report). Amnesty International. 18 December 2014. Retrieved 10 September 2023.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Gaffey, Conor (6 June 2016). "ISIS Burns 19 Yazidi Women to Death in Mosul". International Business Times. Retrieved 10 September 2023.
- ↑ al-Malla, Abdullah (4 June 2016). "ISIS burns 19 Yazidi girls to death in Mosul". ARA News.
- ↑ "ISIS burns 19 Yazidi women to death in iron cages for refusing sex". Toronto Sun. 6 June 2016. Retrieved 10 September 2023.
- ↑ Unearthing Atrocities: Mass Graves in territory formerly controlled by ISIL (Report). United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq / Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. 6 November 2018. Retrieved 10 September 2023.
External links[edit | edit source]
Template:Genocide of Yazidis by ISIL Template:ISIL terrorism