By Kani Helebceyi
After Saddam Hussein’s Halabja gas attack in 1988, a number of journalists brought the infamous atrocity to world attention with their cameras and pens. Dutch photographer and journalist Kees Schaepman brought many images of the attack to European viewers and wrote several articles. While in Halabja, Schaepman conducted several interviews with the victims and doctors on the scene.
When I visited Schaepman in a small apartment in Amesterdam, he brought out his camera, microphone and other equipment, and explained: “They were stored in my basement. Take them all back to Halabja. I do not want them to become toys for children after my departure.”
Unfortunately, several years have passed and the equipment is not yet back in Halabja. Several times I have proposed to arrange a ceremony to return the items to the city, but to no avail.
Here is an edited transcript of the interview with Schaepman:
Rudaw: After the Halabja attack, you were one of those journalists who arrived in the city immediately. How did that happen?
Kees Schaepman : A long time before that date I had applied for an Iranian visa. I was not given the visa. Then one day, early in the morning, I was contacted by the Iranian embassy. They said if you want the visa we will issue it to you. I accepted the offer and arrived in Tehran on the same day. The Iran-Iraq war was still ongoing. Then I went to Halabja from Tehran in a helicopter. Before I departed Tehran I met with a number of the victims of the attack. I talked to them. In the helicopter, there were a number of CBS journalists and Iranian soldiers. When I arrived in Halabja I saw bodies lying all over the streets of the city.
I believe the reason Iran granted me that visa was to bring media attention to the attack. However, due to Saddam’s good relations with the Western powers, the Halabja attack attracted little attention. Even today, when I say I was in Iraq during the Iraq war, people ask: ‘Do you mean the US-Iraq war?’ They do not know there was a much bigger war before this one, a war in which one million people lost their lives.
Another thing that has surprised me is that even though it was clear that Saddam had used chemical weapons, the United Nations did not allow him to be tried for it. This makes me upset. I have spent hours writing on this particular subject.
There have been many lies about Halabja. Much has been kept secret. There has been no scientific investigation of the attack. After the pouring of all that lethal gas, the people of the city returned to their city without any supervision and/or help. The whole Western world had chosen silence. This shows how significant it was for journalists to be there.
Rudaw: Have the Western media paid enough attention to Halabja?
Kees Schaepman : The media paid attention. However, it took a long time before the people actually knew what had happened in Halabja. The first good book about Halabja was written by Joost Hiltermann. He scientifically explained what types of chemical weapons were used, and how and what Iraqi and Iranian roles in the attack were. But the book was published in 2007. This was late. The West did not pay good attention to Halabja. Saddam had good relations with the West. For example, in the entire Netherlands, only two reporters went to Halabja. Even for a soccer game several reporters attend.
All the information came from the same source. That is because few journalists were on the scene. The first organization to address the chemical attack was Doctors without Borders (MSF). The rest were silent. MSF was the first organization from the West to arrive in Halabja. They held a press conference upon their return to the West. What happened in Halabja was very disheartening. It is true that the British used chemical weapons before in World War 1. But they used the weapon against soldiers. In Halabja the weapon was used against civilians and innocent people.
Also, Anfal has not been addressed adequately. In Anfal more than 100,000 people were killed. Without exaggeration we can say Anfal was genocide, or an attempt at genocide.
Rudaw: How did you feel when you arrived in Halabja and saw the corpses?
Kees Schaepman : I have seen wars before, but Halabja was different. Before, I had seen corpses, but not a city full. When I was wandering in the city, I saw a dead cat. This may sound strange, but the dead cat affected me the most. I asked myself, the humans had the potential to do something, but what could an innocent animal have done.
Rudaw: In 2010 you visited Halabja. What did you see that moved you?
Kees Schaepman: I remember in 1988 when I went to Halabja, in one of my articles I wrote: “In this city no children will play again.” But in 2010, when I visited Halabja, the first thing I saw was a group of children playing. In 1988, I was able to hold my tears. But the 2010 scene brought tears to my eyes. I saw hope and happiness in Halabja. My daughter developed some mental illnesses due to seeing the Halabja photos.
Halabja will remain in my memories forever. I hope to visit Halabja again.
