On September 9, 2025, Leila Ghahhary was at the Palace of Westminster in London to brief the Joint Committee on Human Rights, together with Yazda Executive Director Natia Navrouzou, ahead of the upcoming UK House of Lords debate on the Committee’s report “Accountability for Daesh crimes.” The Joint Committee is a permanent committee consisting of Members of the House of Commons and Members of the House of Lords.
The Committee’s report is a landmark acknowledgment of the urgent need for justice for the crimes committed by ISIS/Daesh, including the genocide against the Yazidis. It highlights the serious gaps that remain in ensuring accountability, particularly following the closure of the UN Investigative Team (UNITAD), and it sets out important recommendations for the UK Government.
You can read the joint committee’s report here and read more about the House of Lords debate here.
Our firm is privileged to be involved in this work and we look forward to continuing to support Yazda in securing justice for the Yazidi survivors.
About Yazda
Yazda was founded in 2014 in the wake of the genocidal campaign perpetrated by Daesh against Yazidis and other ethno-religious minorities in Iraq and Syria. Since its founding, Yazda has become a community-led institution that advocates and offers programs and services to aid and enable survivors of genocide in Iraq and around the world.
Today, Yazda has over 70 staff members serving citizens and communities suffering from the atrocities and crimes against humanity committed by Daesh. Yazda operates out of local offices in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region, with a cultural center in Nebraska, and other staff members based in the UK, Germany, Australia, and Sweden. Yazda exists to ensure that survivors’ voices are heard and that justice is pursued wherever possible.
