Home / War and Conflict / Letters from Captivity: A Survivor's Story
Letters from Captivity: A Survivor's Story
8 Mar
Summary
- Amera published letters written during her eight months of IS captivity.
- She was kidnapped with her family by IS in 2014 and separated from her brother.
- Now in Australia, she advocates for thousands of still-missing Yazidis.
Amera, who was 11 years old when Islamic State militants arrived in her Iraqi village in August 2014, has published a book detailing her experiences. The book, "For Ali, For Us All: Messages From Captivity," contains letters she secretly wrote during her eight months as an IS captive.
She was kidnapped with her mother, three sisters, and brother, but has not seen her brother Ali since the day IS arrived. The letters, written on found paper and hidden, were intended as messages to Ali, hoping they would lead him to her. Amera describes the constant fear, sexual violence, and the eventual three-day escape.
After escaping in April 2015, her family spent four years in Iraqi refugee camps before resettling in Armidale, New South Wales, Australia, in 2019. Amera is now studying law, but continues to advocate for the estimated 2,700 Yazidis still missing since the IS genocidal campaign began.
Amera rereads her letters, finding solace in the belief that Ali is with her. Her advocacy aims to bring international attention to finding missing Yazidis and understanding the truth about their fate.
