Kurdistan
A poster depicting the tragedy of people of Badinan hangs on the walls of one of the Baath regime's old prisons in Duhok. Photo: Rudaw
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Kurdistan Region’s top leaders on Friday commemorated the 35th anniversary of the Baath regime’s Anfal campaign in the Badinan area, renewing calls on the Iraqi government to compensate the survivors and the families of victims of the tragedy.
The Anfal campaign, named after the eighth surah in the Quran, was the codename for former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein’s genocide which killed around 182,000 Kurds. The Badinan phase, the last stage of the campaign, began on August 25, 1988 and continued until September 6 of the same year.
More than 5,000 people were killed during the Badinan phase, and over 60,000 others were displaced.
Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani said that the best way to commemorate the victims of Anfal is to better service their families and remain united to ensure that such heinous tragedies are never repeated.
“We reiterate that the Iraqi federal government must fulfill its duty by compensating the families and relatives of the victims and ease their pain,” President Barzani added.
Prime Minister Masrour Barzani stated that receiving proper compensation is the “legitimate right” of all survivors and families of victims, urging the Iraqi government to implement Article 132 of the constitution which declares that the state must guarantee care for the victims of the fallen dictatorial regime.
Similar thoughts were echoed by Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) leader Masoud Barzani, who said that the tragedy and the Kurds’ unrelenting spirt must act as a lesson to all future generations and all those who wish harm upon Kurds.
“The aim of the act was to break Badinan’s revolutionary will, but the people of Kurdistan had a legitimate and will and cause and would have never surrendered to the crimes and oppression of the enemy. It was the enemies and criminals who paid the price of the mistakes and crimes,” read a statement from the KDP leader.
The Anfal campaign has been recognized by the Iraqi Supreme Court as constituting genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes. Nonetheless, little has been done to compensate the survivors or the victims’ families, and the campaign is yet to be recognized as genocide by the majority of the international community.
The Anfal campaign, named after the eighth surah in the Quran, was the codename for former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein’s genocide which killed around 182,000 Kurds. The Badinan phase, the last stage of the campaign, began on August 25, 1988 and continued until September 6 of the same year.
More than 5,000 people were killed during the Badinan phase, and over 60,000 others were displaced.
Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani said that the best way to commemorate the victims of Anfal is to better service their families and remain united to ensure that such heinous tragedies are never repeated.
“We reiterate that the Iraqi federal government must fulfill its duty by compensating the families and relatives of the victims and ease their pain,” President Barzani added.
Prime Minister Masrour Barzani stated that receiving proper compensation is the “legitimate right” of all survivors and families of victims, urging the Iraqi government to implement Article 132 of the constitution which declares that the state must guarantee care for the victims of the fallen dictatorial regime.
Similar thoughts were echoed by Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) leader Masoud Barzani, who said that the tragedy and the Kurds’ unrelenting spirt must act as a lesson to all future generations and all those who wish harm upon Kurds.
“The aim of the act was to break Badinan’s revolutionary will, but the people of Kurdistan had a legitimate and will and cause and would have never surrendered to the crimes and oppression of the enemy. It was the enemies and criminals who paid the price of the mistakes and crimes,” read a statement from the KDP leader.
The Anfal campaign has been recognized by the Iraqi Supreme Court as constituting genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes. Nonetheless, little has been done to compensate the survivors or the victims’ families, and the campaign is yet to be recognized as genocide by the majority of the international community.
Comments
Rudaw moderates all comments submitted on our website. We welcome comments which are relevant to the article and encourage further discussion about the issues that matter to you. We also welcome constructive criticism about Rudaw.
To be approved for publication, however, your comments must meet our community guidelines.
We will not tolerate the following: profanity, threats, personal attacks, vulgarity, abuse (such as sexism, racism, homophobia or xenophobia), or commercial or personal promotion.
Comments that do not meet our guidelines will be rejected. Comments are not edited – they are either approved or rejected.
Post a comment