Kurdistan's PM calls for compensation on Barzani genocide anniversary

Shafaq News/ On the anniversary of the "Barzani genocide," Kurdish Prime Minister Masrour Barzani underscored the need for "compensation for the victims' families affected by the former Iraqi regime.

In a statement, Barzani reflected on the impact of the genocide, saying, "On this anniversary, we honor the victims of the Baathist regime's racist campaign, which subjected them to one of the most brutal acts of ethnic cleansing. This marked the start of a series of Anfal campaigns targeting the Kermanshah and Badinan regions, including the chemical bombing of Halabja and mass killings across Kurdistan."

Barzani emphasized that the Barzan region, a historical stronghold for Kurdish resistance, faced "relentless attacks of destruction and extermination throughout the past century. Despite these efforts to eradicate their spirit, the people of Barzan have maintained their resistance and aspirations for freedom. Today, the region continues to stand as a bastion for the national and collective rights of the Kurdish people."

The Prime Minister also highlighted the KRG's ongoing commitment to ensuring that the families of the victims receive “appropriate financial and moral compensation.” "In all our negotiations with the federal government, we have consistently stressed the right of these families to compensation that reflects their suffering," Barzani stated.

In 1983, an uprising against Saddam's regime erupted in the Kurdistan Region, leading to the Anfal campaign. Saddam appointed General Ali Hassan al-Majid al-Tikriti, the Secretary of the North in the Baath Party, to oversee the Anfal campaign. On March 16, 1988, al-Majid ordered chemical attacks on Halabja and surrounding villages, an action recognized as "genocide."

The campaign targeted the Barzan area, where 8,000 individuals were arrested, transported to the deserts of southern Iraq, and executed. Their bodies were buried in mass graves.

On May 3, 2011, the Iraqi High Criminal Court labeled the Anfal campaign as a "crime against humanity and genocide."

Following the fall of Saddam's regime in 2003, several key figures, including Saddam Hussein and Ali Hassan al-Majid, were tried and convicted in connection with the Anfal campaign, with some receiving death sentences.