The government of the United Kingdom has officially recognized the atrocities committed by the Islamic State (IS) group against the Yazidi people in Iraq as acts of genocide. This declaration comes after a landmark ruling by the German Federal Court of Justice, which found a former IS member guilty of genocide and crimes against humanity.

The UK had previously acknowledged four other instances of genocide, including the Holocaust, the mass killings in Cambodia during the 1970s, the ethnic killings in Rwanda in 1994, and the massacre in Srebrenica in 1995.

The acknowledgement of the Yazidi genocide by the UK government comes ahead of events in Baghdad commemorating the nine-year anniversary of the IS assault on the Yazidi minority. The Yazidis, who were considered heretics by the militant group, suffered massacres, forced marriages, and sexual slavery during IS's two-year rule in the northern Iraqi province of Sinjar.

UK Middle East Minister Tariq Ahmad stated that the Yazidi population still feels the repercussions of the atrocities committed by IS nine years ago and emphasized the importance of justice and accountability for those whose lives have been devastated. The acknowledgement of genocide by the UK government is seen as a significant step towards justice and healing for the Yazidi victims.

However, nearly six years since Iraq declared victory over IS, many Yazidis have been unable to return to Sinjar. Thousands still live in displacement camps, and those who have returned face an unstable security situation and lack of public services. The UK's recognition of the Yazidi genocide is expected to strengthen the commitment to ensure compensation and meaningful justice for the victims.

Yazidi Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Nadia Murad, who has been campaigning against sexual violence in war, particularly against the Yazidis, expressed hope that the British government would seek justice by holding British-born fighters accountable.

The UK government's decision to acknowledge the Yazidi genocide was based on the judgment of the German Federal Court of Justice, which found a former IS fighter guilty of acts of genocide and crimes against humanity in Iraq.

The UK government has always maintained that determinations of genocide should be made by competent courts. The Islamic State launched the Yazidi genocide in 2014, targeting the Yazidi minority for mass executions, rape, sexual slavery, forced labor, and religious conversion.

Although the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS liberated all territory controlled by IS in 2019, Yazidi genocide survivors still face perilous conditions, with over 360,000 displaced in camps throughout Iraq and Syria.

ISIS maintains a presence in Yazidi-populated areas, and Turkey continues to launch military attacks on Sinjar. The United Nations had previously recognized that ISIS committed genocide against the Yazidis and war crimes against unarmed cadets and military personnel. The UK government's acknowledgement of the Yazidi genocide highlights its commitment to eradicating ISIS and supporting the affected communities.