Persecuted by jihadists, Yazidis flee to Greece

By Costas Onisenko

“They hate us because of our faith. The only thing they have asked of us is that we change religion – not that we join their army or anything else,” 26-year-old Jamal said when asked why the Yazidis are being persecuted by jihadist group Islamic State (IS). Kathimerini met with Jamal at a Kurdish cafe in central Athens. He told us how he came to Greece as part of a group of 20 Yazidis. Jamal and other members of the group asked that their last names not be published as they had managed to enter the country without being arrested or registered by the authorities and were planning to continue their journey north to Germany.

“It is true that Yazidis are starting to come to Greece,” confirmed Kaity Kehayoglou of the Greek branch of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). “The Greek authorities need to take measures for their protection, such as ensuring entry into the asylum process, protection from confinement and postponement of deportation as their return would put their lives in jeopardy.”

According to data from the Greek asylum service, 10 Yazidis – six from Iraq and four from Syria – have already applied for protection. “It is still early,” Maria Stavropoulou, who heads the service, told Kathimerini. “They register as Iraqis and not as members of the religious minority, which is something we only get to know once the process gets under way.”

Among the people Kathimerini interviewed at the central Athens cafe were two women and three children. They all live together in an apartment in downtown Athens. One of the children, a boy aged 3, was wearing a gold earring. “Until the age of 3 both boys and girls wear gold earrings; then just the girls do,” his mother explained, avoiding giving any...