The background to this is the continuing difficult security situation for the religious minority from the region. Last year, the Bündnis90/Die Grünen parliamentary group submitted a similar motion to the Bundestag. However, it did not receive a majority vote.
The Left Party Calls for a Halt to Deportations and the Right to Stay for Yazidis
In the motion, The Left calls on the federal government to take several specific measures.
First, the federal government should urge the federal states to impose a moratorium on the deportation of Yazidi refugees from Iraq and Syria. This would suspend deportations to those countries for the time being.
In addition, the party is calling for a residency permit scheme for Yazidis similar to the provision under Section 23(1) of the Residence Act. This provision allows the federal states to grant residence permits to certain groups of refugees on humanitarian grounds. This requires the approval of the Federal Ministry of the Interior.
According to the Left Party, the eligibility criteria for residence permits should be designed in such a way that as many people as possible can benefit from them.
Specifically, the motion provides for:
- The right to remain should not depend on income or employment.
- The regulation is intended to apply to Yazidis from Iraq and Syria.
- In cases where grounds for exclusion may apply—such as criminal offenses— decisions should continue to be made on a case-by-case basis.
- People who fled to Germany at a later date could also be considered, for example, if they were abducted by the Islamic State.
Background: Genocide against the Yazidi population
The Left Party bases its motion on the events of 2014. At that time, the terrorist organization “Islamic State” (IS) attacked the Sinjar region in northern Iraq, where many Yazidis live. This resulted in serious crimes against the civilian population. More than 5,000 people were killed—mostly men and boys. Around 7,000 women and girls were abducted, enslaved, and subjected to sexual violence.
As a result of the genocide, many Yazidis fled to Germany—between 2015 and 2019, more than 75,000 people from this community arrived. Today, an estimated 100,000 to 200,000 Yazidis live in Germany —the largest Yazidi diaspora outside of Iraq and Syria.
The United Nations classified these acts as genocide as early as 2016. The German Bundestag also officially recognized the genocide against the Yazidis in January 2023 and called at that time for continued protection to be provided to those affected.
To this day, many survivors still live in refugee camps in the Kurdistan Region. The security situation in the region remains unstable, due in part to resurgent ISIS cells, local militias, and ongoing conflicts.
The approval rate has fallen and deportations have risen
In its motion, The Left also criticizes the fact that the protection rate for Yazidi refugees in Germany has fallen significantly in recent years. While nearly all Yazidi asylum seekers from Iraq were granted protection in 2015, the protection rate had dropped to just 48.6 percent by 2022.
In addition, numerous protection statuses have been reviewed or revoked in recent years. At the same time, the number of deportations to Iraq has risen significantly: it increased from 27 deportations in 2020 to 699 deportations in 2024.
Calls for the right to stay also from the Greens
Other political parties and civil society organizations are also calling for a long-term solution for Yazidi refugees in Germany. Organizations such as Pro Asyl and Wadi e. V. are advocating for a nationwide halt to deportations and a permanent right of residence.
Similar calls have already been made in the Bundestag. For example, the Alliance 90/The Greens parliamentary group submitted a motion last year that also called for a halt to deportations and a secure right of residence for Yazidis.
Among other things, the Greens called for a three-year residence permit for Yazidis who entered Germany from Iraq by July 31, 2025—regardless of whether they entered with a visa or can support themselves.
The regulation was intended to apply nationwide and initially remain in effect until July 31, 2028. After that, it would have been possible to transition to a long-term residence permit. However, the motion did not receive a majority vote in the Bundestag.
What happens now?
The motion put forward by the Left Party is currently being debated in the Bundestag. It is not yet clear exactly when the proposal will be put to a vote.
It is also difficult to predict whether the motion will secure a majority. While Germany has officially recognized the genocide against the Yazidis, this does not create a legal obligation to grant all those affected the right to remain. At the same time, the federal government’s current migration and asylum policy increasingly relies on stricter regulations and deportations in many areas.
However, one thing is clear: with the new motion, the debate on the protection of Yazidi refugees in Germany is likely to regain importance.
