Shafaq News / The President of Kurdistan Region, Nechirvan Barzani, called today on the federal government to do its legal and moral duty, and restore the Feyli Kurds' rights, compensate them for the damages they suffered, and solve their problems.
Barzani said in a statement, "On the 41st anniversary of the genocide against the Feyli Kurds, we remember the many victims and pay tribute to their memories."
He added, "The systematic persecution of hundreds of thousands of Feyli Kurds, their forced relocation, and the revocation of their citizenship under the racist policies of the former Baathist regime were carried out because of the Feyli Kurds’ adherence to their Kurdish identity."
The President of the Kurdistan Region said, "Recognizing these crimes as genocide by Iraqi High Tribunal was a just ruling, which obliges the Iraqi state and government to compensate the victims for their financial and moral damages."
"We urge the Federal Government to meet its legal and moral obligations and reimburse the victims of the mass crimes against the Feyli Kurds for the unlawful confiscation of their properties, revocation of their citizenship and a range of other serious crimes committed against them under the former Baathist regime", he added.
"As we honor the memories of the Feyli Kurds’ fallen heroes and victims, we also salute their families and loved ones. The struggle and sacrifices made by our Feyli Kurd sisters and brothers will forever be a source of national pride for the people of Kurdistan", he concluded.
For nearly three decades, the previous regime headed by Saddam Hussein drove thousands of young Feyli Kurds to an unknown location. Their fate is still unknown and it is likely that they died in detention centers or were buried alive in mass graves.
Faili Kurds were also subjected to displacement, arrest and murder during the rule of former Presidents Ahmed Hassan Al-Bakr in 1970 and 1975, and Saddam Hussein in 1980, accusing them of being loyal to Iran. However, historians believe that the displacement came because of their sectarian and national affiliations.
On December 8, 2010, the Iraqi government issued a decision in which it pledged to remove the effects of targeting Fayli Kurds, followed by a decision by the council of Representatives on August 1, 2010, according to which the displacement and forced disappearance of Fayli Kurds were considered a crime of genocide.
