Barzani calls on Iraq to compensate Fayli Kurds on 43rd anniversary of genocide

Shafaq News / Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani issued a statement on the 43rd anniversary of the genocide against Fayli Kurds by the previous regime that ruled Iraq.

He called on the federal government to compensate this segment for the damages it suffered and to restore its stolen rights.

"In commemoration of the 43rd anniversary of genocide, disappearance, and deportation of our Fayli Kurdish brothers and sisters, we respectfully remember and honor the martyrs and victims of these crimes," said President Barzani in his statement.

He added that "what was done against the Fayli Kurds was ethnic and racist cleansing, in addition to the disappearance of tens of thousands of innocent civilians. Hundreds of thousands of them were deported and displaced, and their properties were confiscated, and their nationality was stripped away simply because they were Kurds and defending their legitimate rights and identity."

President Barzani continued by saying that the Iraqi Supreme Criminal Court has defined this crime as genocide, which places the government and the Iraqi state before legal and humanitarian responsibility to compensate the victims. On this anniversary, we call on the federal government of Iraq to fulfill its duty in compensating and restoring all civil and material rights to the Fayli Kurds."

He concluded by saying, "Salute and peace to the pure souls of the martyrs of Fayli Kurds. Salute and respect to their noble families. The sacrifice and loyalty of our Fayli Kurdish brothers and sisters are an honor for our people, and we always remember it."

It is worth mentioning that the previous regime headed by Saddam Hussein for about three decades sent thousands of young Fayli Kurds to unknown places, and their fate is still unknown. It is likely that they died in detention or were buried alive in mass graves.

The Ba'ath regime launched a massive campaign in the late 1970s and early 1980s to deport Fayli Kurds, withdraw their Iraqi nationality, and confiscate their movable and immovable property. Fayli Kurds were also subjected to deportation, displacement, arrest, and murder during the rule of former President Ahmed Hassan al-Bakr in 1970 and 1975, and later Saddam Hussein's regime in 1980. Historians believe that the deportations were due to their religious and nationalist affiliations.

In 2010, the High Criminal Court issued its verdict regarding the crimes of deportation, disappearance, and confiscation of the rights of Fayli Kurds, considering them as genocide. The Iraqi government issued a decision on December 8, 2010, committing to removing the negative effects of targeting Fayli Kurds, followed by a decision from the parliament on August 1, 2010, declaring the forced deportation and disappearance of Fayli Kurds as genocide.