Shafaq News- Baghdad
On “Feyli Martyr Day” (April 4), the community commemorates its sacrifices amid unresolved issues that have yet to be fully addressed. Each year, calls grow louder for the restoration of these rights, as Feyli Kurds hold protests and mark the occasion in a recurring annual display of remembrance and demands for justice.
Iraqi lawmaker Haider Abu Tira described the current situation of Feyli Kurds as “tragic,” stating that they have yet to secure basic rights such as citizenship and financial compensation guaranteed under the Martyrs Foundation law. He also pointed to their marginalization and weak representation in state institutions, noting that “nothing has been achieved to do justice to this authentic community despite repeated demands and official correspondence.”
Abu Tira added that the community’s political representation remains limited to a single parliamentary seat, alongside representation in Wasit and Baghdad provincial councils. He explained that before 2019, Feyli Kurds held two positions in Wasit, deputy governor and deputy director of education, but were later stripped of these roles. “This does not reflect real representation for a broad community and does not match the scale of sacrifices it has made,” he said.
The federal government officially designated April 4 as Feyli Martyr Day following successive campaigns of forced displacement and genocide against the community, which included stripping them of Iraqi citizenship, classifying them as Iranians, confiscating their assets, deporting hundreds of thousands, and the disappearance of more than 20,000 young men whose remains have yet to be found.
Fouad Ali Akbar, advisor on Feyli affairs to the Iraqi parliament, stated that the community endured severe atrocities, including forced displacement, killings, arbitrary detention, loss of identity, and seizure of both movable and immovable property.
Read more: Mass graves, missing thousands: Feyli Kurd families still seek answers
Despite nearly three decades since the fall of the former regime, he noted that while some have regained part of their rights, the majority continue to suffer. Thousands of victims are still listed as alive in civil records, and their families remain uncompensated, while many face complex property disputes in courts.
He also highlighted bureaucratic obstacles that hinder access to rights, including administrative delays within institutions responsible for martyrs and political prisoners, discouraging many from pursuing their claims. “These files require serious review and genuine political will,” he said, stressing that many rights remain denied and the voices of Feyli Kurds largely unheard.
On November 29, 2010, the Iraqi High Criminal Court ruled that the crimes committed against Feyli Kurds, including displacement, disappearance, and rights confiscation, constituted genocide, affirming that these acts were systematic rather than incidental.
Subsequently, on December 8, 2010, the Iraqi government, followed by parliament on August 1 of the same year, issued decisions pledging to address the consequences of these violations, provide compensation, trace missing persons, and restore citizenship and property rights.
Historically, Feyli Kurds have faced compounded challenges, including forced displacement, denationalization, property confiscation, arrests, and systematic killings during the rule of former president Ahmed Hassan al-Bakr in 1970 and 1975, and continuing under Saddam Hussein in 1980, according to historians and historical sources.
Dhuha Al-Mandalawi, a member of the Feyli National Framework, stressed the continued demand for rights in recognition of the community’s sacrifices and suffering. She said Feyli Kurds still endure marginalization and injustice, with many victims’ remains yet to be recovered from mass graves, calling on authorities to deliver justice.
Key demands remain the recovery of victims’ remains, restoration of citizenship, financial compensation for confiscated property, and meaningful representation in state institutions, rights the Feyli Kurds have sought for nearly three decades.
Despite official judicial recognition of genocide, delays in implementing laws and delivering justice persist, leaving unresolved issues, from citizenship restoration to political representation and civil rights, as unmet national priorities.
Read more: Feyli Kurds: A “blood-stained” wound still awaiting justice after 46 years