Yazidi Society Coordination member Hasan Dutar, called Mam Beşir by the people in Sinjar, died from a heart attack on 14 December.

The Yazidi Society Coordination issued a statement upon hearing the news: “We lost a dear Yazidi person who went to Sinjar right after the genocide by the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) in Sinjar began on 3 August. Hasan Dutar participated in organising and defending the Yazidi community”.

Yazidi Society Coordination also stated that Dutar struggled for autonomy rights in Sinjar for many years. It noted that he was born in a patriotic family in 1956 in the city of Batman (Êlîh) in Turkey and he participated in the struggle from an early age. Following a meeting with Mam Zeki Şengali, he became an active figure of the struggle.

Yazidi Society Coordination confirmed that Dutar, despite having been detained and arrested several times in Germany, continued to engage with the struggle and fulfilled significant tasks in the organisation of the European diaspora Yazidi community. Following ISIS’ attacks in Sinjar, Dutar was amongst the founders of the Yazidi Democratic Community (TEVDA) that was established in 2003.