(8 Aug 2016) Yazidi rights activists and a former prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) visited Yazidi refugees in the northern Greek refugee camp at Petra Olympou on Monday, hoping to build a case to be heard at the Hague-based court.
Luis Moreno Ocampo, a former prosecutor at the court and first in the role, told the Associated Press during his visit that it was very important for members of the Yazidi community that the world recognises them as victims of genocide.
About 1,300 Yazidis live in the camp near the village of Petra Olympou, under Mount Olympus.
They fled attacks in Iraq and Syria from the Islamic State group (IS) during the 2014 offensive that claimed large swathes of both countries, killing thousands and enslaving thousands more - mainly women and children.
Among the visitors to the camp was prominent Yazidi activist Nadia Murad, who managed to escape IS slavery and has since campaigned for the minority group's cause.
In June this year, a UN inquiry said that IS is committing genocide, crimes against humanity and other war crimes against the Yazidi communities of Iraq and Syria.
The report found that many Yazidis were taken into Syria, and that over 3,200 Yazidi women and children remained captive.
Yazidi victims of IS have been among the hundreds of thousands of Syrians and Iraqis who have crossed into Greece since the start of last year, which has contributed to a wider European migration crisis.
Find out more about AP Archive: [ Ссылка ]
Twitter: [ Ссылка ]
Facebook: [ Ссылка ]
Instagram: [ Ссылка ]
You can license this story through AP Archive: [ Ссылка ]
