Despite the passage of numerous barren years, the situation of the Fayli Kurds in Iraq has not significantly improved since the inception of the country and the Iraqi Nationality Law No. 42 of 1924, which relegated them to second-class citizenship. This is despite evidence that the Fayli Kurds have inhabited Iraq for centuries, according to the ancient history of the country and their documented presence therein.
The second amendment to the royal constitution, which contradicted itself with the enactment of Law No. 69 of 1943, modified Article 30, Paragraph 1 of the Iraqi Basic Law of 1925. This law deprived the Fayli Kurds of their right to official representation in the House of Representatives and the Council of Elders.
The predicament of the Fayli Kurds escalated and worsened as they were expelled in waves during the 1970s and 1980s due to their active participation in the Kurdish liberation movements in Kurdistan and the Iraqi national movements more broadly, seeking rights as citizens.
These aspirations were undermined by the successive Iraqi authorities' norms, culminating in the Ba'ath regime's rule, which resulted in the killing and displacement of over one and a half million Fayli citizens without any crime other than dreaming of living with dignity.
The tragedy of the Fayli Kurds in Iraq has persisted despite the changing names and authorities, including the advent of the new democratic Iraq established in 2003.
The new government has not redressed the Fayli Kurds or acknowledged the rights of their martyrs, nor has it addressed the suffering they experienced in Salman Pak or the unprecedented mass graves. To this day, displaced Fayli Kurds continue to seek their usurped rights and, at the very least, the hundreds of properties confiscated by the state before 2003. They still await a law that will restore a portion of their lost rights, much like their stolen identity.
As for the ethno-sectarian representation in the Iraqi Parliament in the age of democracy and constitution, it remains reticent and does not reflect the magnitude of the tragedy experienced by more than one and a half million Fayli Kurdish citizens, who were subjected to murder, displacement, and forced migration.
The journey towards justice and recognition for the Fayli Kurds in Iraq is far from over, as they continue to strive for their rights and dignity in the face of historical injustices.
