Kurdistan's PM calls for compensation on Barzani genocide anniversary
Shafaq News/ On the anniversary of the
"Barzani genocide," Kurdish Prime Minister Masrour Barzani underscored
the need for "compensation for the victims' families affected by the
former Iraqi regime.
In a statement, Barzani reflected on the impact
of the genocide, saying, "On this anniversary, we honor the victims of the
Baathist regime's racist campaign, which subjected them to one of the most
brutal acts of ethnic cleansing. This marked the start of a series of Anfal
campaigns targeting the Kermanshah and Badinan regions, including the chemical
bombing of Halabja and mass killings across Kurdistan."
Barzani emphasized that the Barzan region, a
historical stronghold for Kurdish resistance, faced "relentless attacks of
destruction and extermination throughout the past century. Despite these
efforts to eradicate their spirit, the people of Barzan have maintained their
resistance and aspirations for freedom. Today, the region continues to stand as
a bastion for the national and collective rights of the Kurdish people."
The Prime Minister also highlighted the KRG's
ongoing commitment to ensuring that the families of the victims receive “appropriate
financial and moral compensation.” "In all our negotiations with the
federal government, we have consistently stressed the right of these families
to compensation that reflects their suffering," Barzani stated.
In 1983, an uprising against Saddam's regime
erupted in the Kurdistan Region, leading to the Anfal campaign. Saddam
appointed General Ali Hassan al-Majid al-Tikriti, the Secretary of the North in
the Baath Party, to oversee the Anfal campaign. On March 16, 1988, al-Majid
ordered chemical attacks on Halabja and surrounding villages, an action
recognized as "genocide."
The campaign targeted the Barzan area, where
8,000 individuals were arrested, transported to the deserts of southern Iraq,
and executed. Their bodies were buried in mass graves.
On May 3, 2011, the Iraqi High Criminal Court
labeled the Anfal campaign as a "crime against humanity and
genocide."
Following the fall of Saddam's regime in 2003,
several key figures, including Saddam Hussein and Ali Hassan al-Majid, were
tried and convicted in connection with the Anfal campaign, with some receiving
death sentences.