Frozen in the Past is more than a collection of survival stories – it is an appeal against forgetting and a call for justice. In August 2014, the so-called Islamic State (ISIS) committed genocide against the Yezidis in the Shingal region of Iraq. Thousands were murdered, abducted, enslaved and tortured. The survivors of the seriously traumatized community are still healing the deep wounds of these crimes, the 74th Ferman (genocide) in their history – and for justice. Frozen in the Past gives the survivors a voice. In haunting, unvarnished stories, they tell of imprisonment, rape, loss and the immeasurable suffering they had to endure. But despite the unimaginable cruelty, their storiesalso reveal courage, resilience and an unbroken will to regain hope. They remind us that documenting history is not just about recording facts but about honoring the humanity of those who lived through it. Rawan Fouad Abdi has spent years collecting these testimonies to come to terms with the crimes and to ensure that the world is listening.
Author of the Book
Rawan Fouad Abdi is a writer and researcher from Kurdistan Syria and currently a field researcher at the Center for Genocide Studies at Duhok University. She holds a BA in Public Policies from Duhok University and is interested in Yezidi affairs. In 2014, she immigrated to Kurdistan Iraq where she saw the effects of the Yezidi genocide firsthand.