KRI President calls for redress on 44th commemoration of Feyli Kurds genocide
Shafaq News / Nechirvan Barzani, President of the Kurdistan Region (KRI), issued a statement on Thursday to mark the 44th anniversary of the genocide perpetrated by Saddam Hussein's regime against the Feyli Kurds, reiterating the call for compensation from the federal government to address the multifaceted harm inflicted upon them.
"Today marks the somber forty-fourth anniversary of the genocide inflicted upon thousands of Feyli Kurds, who endured a barbaric onslaught orchestrated by the Iraqi regime of that era. They faced killings, arrests, forced displacement, citizenship revocation, asset seizures, and property confiscation solely due to their Kurdish identity and support for the Kurdistan Revolution," Barzani conveyed.
He further emphasized, "On this solemn occasion, we renew our plea to the Iraqi federal government to provide comprehensive compensation to the Feyli Kurds, in accordance with the ruling of the Iraqi Supreme Criminal Court, which unequivocally classified this atrocity as genocide. This entails reinstating their citizenship, returning their assets and properties, and resolving their grievances. We remain steadfast in our pursuit of justice and pledge full cooperation in all pertinent endeavors."
The President of the Kurdistan Region highlighted that "the genocide perpetrated against the Feyli Kurds, alongside all endeavors aimed at their annihilation and the atrocities inflicted upon the Kurdish populace, epitomize a dark chapter and a distressing legacy of missteps in Iraq, contributing to the nation's woes and instability."
He emphasized, "It is imperative that we glean valuable lessons from the past, leveraging them to forge a brighter future founded upon principles of inclusivity, collaboration, and mutual acceptance within Iraq."
Noteworthy, during Saddam Hussein's regime, which spanned nearly three decades, thousands of young Feyli Kurds were forcibly relocated to undisclosed destinations, their fates shrouded in uncertainty, with indications suggesting that many perished in custody or were subjected to extrajudicial executions and buried in mass graves.
The Ba'athist regime initiated a concerted campaign in the late 1970s and early 1980s to uproot the Feyli Kurds, stripping them of their Iraqi citizenship and seizing their assets. They endured deportation, displacement, arrests, and executions during the tenures of former Presidents Ahmed Hassan al-Bakr in 1970 and 1975, followed by Saddam Hussein in 1980.
In 2010, the Supreme Criminal Court rendered its verdict on the crimes of displacement and confiscation of rights perpetrated against the Feyli Kurds, unequivocally designating them as acts of genocide.
Subsequently, on December 8, 2010, the Iraqi government committed to compensating the Feyli Kurds, with a concurrent resolution passed by the Council of Representatives on August 1, 2010, recognizing the forced displacement and disappearance of the Feyli Kurds as genocide.
