Leader Barzani to advocate for Faili Kurdish rights: A symbol of sacrifice and resilience
Shafaq News/ On Sunday, Leader Masoud Barzani highlighted the “sacrifices and national spirit” of the Faili Kurds, describing them as a “striking example of oppression and persecution.”
According to a statement from Barzani’s office, the KDP leader met with several Faili Kurdish figures and representatives of associations and organizations at the Saladin Resort in Erbil, the capital of the Kurdistan Region.
The visiting delegation briefed Barzani on the problems and obstacles faced by the Feyli Kurds, including “the deprivation of rights and identity, as well as the lasting impacts of torture, displacement, and the chauvinistic policies inflicted by Iraq’s former regime.”
The delegation expressed gratitude to Barzani for “his continuous advocacy for the rights of the Faili Kurds and for his efforts to address their challenges and restore and consolidate their entitlements,” the statement added.
Barzani recognized personalities and representatives of Faili Kurdish organizations and associations, expressed his appreciation for their positions, and stressed that the Faili Kurds are “a symbol of Kurdish nationalism and sacrifice and a stark example of the injustice and persecution practiced against the Kurdish people.” He underscored that they have faced “injustices due to their national identity, resulting in displacement and hardship.”
Moreover, he reiterated that he will spare no effort to support all the rights and demands of the Faili Kurds, according to the statement.
About Faili Kurds
Faili Kurds, an ethnic group historically residing along the Zagros mountains on the Iraq-Iran border, now primarily live in Baghdad and eastern Iraq, including Diyala, Wasit, Maysan, Basra, and the Kurdistan region. During Saddam Hussein's nearly 30-year rule, thousands of young Failis were forcibly disappeared, with many presumed to have died in custody or been executed in mass graves.
In the late 1970s and early 1980s, the Baathist regime launched a systematic campaign against the Failis, stripping them of citizenship and confiscating their assets. Under Presidents Ahmed Hassan al-Bakr and Saddam Hussein, Failis faced deportation, arrests, and executions.
In 2010, Iraq’s Supreme Criminal Court officially recognized these actions as genocide, after 44 hearings that began in 2008.
