Body of Yezidi chief home for reburial near holy shrine
“We stand here today to say our goodbyes to him,” said KRG Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani in a speech at the Erbil International Airport.
Barzani said, “The Mir has left us, but his deeds and his work for the Yezidi people will forever keep his name alive in the history of the people of Kurdistan.”
Barzani said that the people of Kurdistan will never forget the tragedy the Yezidi community went through and that his government has made it a priority to rescue all Yezidi captives under ISIS.
“The ISIS crime against the Yezidis was systematic. So the people of Kurdistan will never forget what happened to our Yezidi brothers and sisters. We will never stop to bring home those still in captivity,” he said.
“I ask people who once lived under ISIS to help us rescue all the captives. I’ve personally vowed that freeing all the abducted Yezidis will be the priority of our work and the office we’ve set up for that purpose. As long as one Yezidi is held by ISIS the ISIS crimes continue.”
Mir Tahsin was born on August 15, 1933 in Ba'adra, near Shekhan, Duhok. He was appointed Mir (Chief) of the Yezidi community in Iraq, Syria and the rest of the world at the age of 11.
He died of illness at the age of 85 in a German hospital last week.
“Today Iraqis are saying farewell and mourn the loss of Mir Tahsin Beg, a great symbol, a passionate father and a dedicated man.” Adil Abdul Mahdi, Iraq’s new prime minister said in condolence message read by his representative.
"He was the symbol of co-existence and peace," read Abdul Mahdi’s message. "He was an effective person to advocate for the rights of Yezidis for 75 years."
Karim Sulaimani, read a gratitude message on behalf of late Beg's family.
“When people talk about Mr Tahsin Beg, they talk about the 20th century and a 100-year-long of struggle," said Karim Soleiman on behalf of the Chief’s family. “He served the Yezidis for 75 years. He was fighting for our rights in Kurdistan, Iraq and the world.”
Mir Tahsin joined the Kurdish Aylul Revolution against Iraqi government in 1970. He had already experienced imprisonment under the Iraqi regime a decade earlier.
He migrated to the UK in 1975 and returned to Iraq in 1981. He survived two attempts on his life in 1992 and 2003.
He is survived by eight sons and three daughters.
