FARASHIN MARWAN

Shengal — On August 3, 2014, ISIS launched its notorious attack known as “Firmān 74” on Shengal, during which 7,000 people were killed and 5,000 Yazidi women were abducted. During that period, the People’s Protection Units (YPG), Women’s Protection Units (YPJ), Free Women’s Units (YJA-Star), and fighters of the People’s Defense Forces (HPG) managed to liberate thousands of Yazidi women. However, the fate of many remains unknown to this day.

Parvin Shafan Emo, from the village of Kojo, is one of the Yazidi women who fell into ISIS captivity on August 3, when she was only sixteen years old. On the same day Parvin and her family were captured, two of her brothers and her uncle were killed by ISIS—a crime she witnessed firsthand.

Later, ISIS members transferred Parvin Emo, her mother, and her sisters to various areas including Shengal, Tal Afar, and Mosul, where they were constantly moved amid battles alongside ISIS. Eventually, Parvin was completely separated from her family, beginning a solitary journey of captivity and suffering.

The Story of Jilan: Resistance Until Death

Parvin Shafan Emo recounted the suffering endured by women in captivity, explaining that many could not withstand the psychological and physical torment. She noted that to prevent abducted women from escaping, ISIS fighters would put drugs into their food and drink, leaving them unable even to lift their heads.

She added that some abducted women chose to end their lives rather than remain in ISIS captivity. Among them was Jilan, another Yazidi girl who was held with Parvin in the same place and took her own life to avoid continued imprisonment.

Recalling the moment, Parvin said:

“Jilan was wounded before our eyes and forced to bathe while bleeding. She chose to end her life rather than remain in the hands of these criminals. At that moment, I felt as if a bullet had struck my body; my blood froze. I was extremely afraid.”

Seventy Family Members Killed or Abducted

During her captivity, Parvin Shafan Emo was forced to marry an ISIS member. As he was stationed in combat zones around Shengal, she was forced to accompany him and move across different regions of Iraq.

Speaking about her family’s suffering, she said that nearly seventy members of her family were killed, abducted, or went missing at the hands of ISIS. This compounded her pain—between her own captivity and the collective loss of her family—prompting her to ask:

“How can a person live with someone knowing he killed your brothers?”

She explained that during captivity, she imagined herself every night back in her home, yet lived under constant threat, as if trapped in a closed cage. When describing ISIS members’ treatment of women, the effects of two years of suffering were evident in her eyes. She said with difficulty that these experiences left an indelible mark on her soul.

She emphasized that ISIS fighters placed no value on women; on the contrary, they viewed them as commodities or tools, subjecting them to the most brutal forms of violence, without recognizing any humanity or dignity in them.

“HTS and ISIS Are the Same”

After two years in captivity, Parvin Shafan Emo managed to escape and returned to Shengal, where she lives today. However, with the recent attacks by HTS jihadists on Rojava, memories of her ISIS captivity resurfaced. She stressed that these groups are nothing more than an extension of ISIS—different names, same crimes: mass killings, looting, and assaults on women.

She added:

“What happened to the Yazidis in 2014 is happening today in Rojava. When I saw their attacks, I felt the same fear I experienced when I fell into their hands. The killing, looting, and violence against women that I witnessed back then are being repeated today. I do not want to see what we lived through repeated by another group.”

“Returning ISIS Members to Iraq Is a Major Threat”

Parvin Shafan Emo expressed deep concern over the return of detained ISIS members to Iraq, describing it as a direct threat to Yazidi women and society:

“As a Yazidi woman who survived captivity, I feel that what I lived through could happen again. This fills me with great fear. I don’t know what will happen, but it is extremely painful and difficult. As a Yazidi woman who was once imprisoned by these people, I cannot accept their return to Iraq or their presence near Shengal. Therefore, today I believe in the necessity of self-defense. If a new attack occurs on Shengal, I will stand as a Yazidi woman, protect myself, and resist.