Driven away yesterday, kept quiet today

We are warmly inviting you to join the event ‘Driven away yesterday, silenced today’ on the Yazidi genocide. It will take place on Thursday, 19 June 2025 at 5 p.m. at the Schwarzkopf Foundation Young Europe in cooperation with the Student Forum at Tönissteiner Kreis e.V.

Germany is home to the largest part of the Yazidi diaspora, yet there is little social debate about the history of these people. The event ‘Driven away yesterday, silenced today’ creates a space for those interested in learning about the genocide of the Yazidis: it sheds light on the historical background and legal proceedings as well as the personal experiences of survivors.

On the initiative of the Student Forum at Tönissteiner Kreis e.V., Christian Ritscher (former head of the UN investigation team on the crimes of Islamic State (IS) in Iraq) will report on the background and criminal prosecution of the acts of Islamic State (IS). Farhad Alsilo will then recount his story as a survivor of the genocide and his flight to Germany, which he experienced as an 11-year-old at the time. The event will be moderated by Carina Lange.

We look forward to your participation and kindly request that you register online or by email by 18 June 2025.