Nadia Murad and Amal Clooney Take the Yazidis’ Cause to the U.N. (Video)
In this clip from the documentary "On Her Shoulders," lawyer Clooney joins her client, refugee-turned-activist Murad, for a landmark occasion at the United Nations HQ.
Oscilloscope Laboratories
It’s hard to imagine what would cause a commotion on the floor of the United Nations, where international heads of state routinely drop by to offer brief breaks from the daily grind of institutionalized diplomacy.
But when Yazidi refugee Nadia Murad showed up on Sept. 22, 2016, to officially step into her role as the first goodwill ambassador for the Dignity of Survivors of Human Trafficking of the United Nations, it didn’t seem like business as usual, judging by this clip from filmmaker Alexandria Bombach’s new documentary, “On Her Shoulders.”
The gravity of the crisis Murad is there to address, as well as her air of quiet determination, is offset by the swirl of activity around her, as members of her extended support team usher her in and do some on-the-fly stage directing before she begins her speech. Causing no small amount of chic pandemonium is a different sort of celebrity humanitarian in Murad’s midst—Amal Clooney, who is there in the capacity of her lawyer.
“On Her Shoulders,” which tracks part of Murad’s multistop speaking tour to draw worldwide attention to the genocide by Islamic State of Yazidi communities in Iraq and Syria, opens Friday in the U.S. Click here to read Truthdig’s interview with Bombach.
Watch the trailer for “On Her Shoulders” below (film clips courtesy of Oscilloscope Laboratories):
Your support is crucial...
As we navigate an uncertain 2025, with a new administration questioning press freedoms, the risks are clear: our ability to report freely is under threat.
Your tax-deductible donation enables us to dig deeper, delivering fearless investigative reporting and analysis that exposes the reality beneath the headlines — without compromise.
Now is the time to take action. Stand with our courageous journalists. Donate today to protect a free press, uphold democracy and uncover the stories that need to be told.
Even in countries that value press freedom, women are routinely subjected to threats of rape and other forms of online abuse.
Alexandria Bombach discusses her documentary, "On Her Shoulders," the Yazidi people, and the challenges of telling the story of Nobel Peace Prize co-winner Nadia Murad (pictured).
Director Alexandria Bombach tells Truthdig how she avoided exploiting her subject's traumatic past in making her new documentary, “On Her Shoulders.”
Satellite marches will be held at more than 700 cities nationwide.
Republicans in the Florida Legislature say they would consider more modest proposals, such as raising the minimum age to buy assault rifles.
Her release comes after Azerbaijan’s Supreme Court reduced her seven-and-a-half-year sentence by four years. Human rights advocates say the new suspended sentence is still too harsh.
You need to be a supporter to comment.
There are currently no responses to this article.
Be the first to respond.