Baghdad vigil honors missing Feyli Kurds and calls for answers
Shafaq News- Baghdad
The former Baath regime in Iraq forcibly disappeared around 20,000 Feyli Kurds, Tareq al-Mandalawi, director general of the Legal Department at the Martyrs Foundation, stated on Sunday, calling for their fate to be determined and their remains recovered.
During a memorial vigil organized by the Nabd al-Watan Foundation for Studies, Culture and Media for missing Feyli Kurds, al-Mandalawi said documents exist documenting the disappearance of young people from the community. He urged for justice for Feyli Kurds by restoring their property, granting them Iraqi citizenship and activating the government committee tasked with addressing the legacy of abuses against the community.
Former lawmaker Hussein Mardan also called for the swift passage of legislation to protect minorities and end the suffering of Feyli Kurds, particularly over their citizenship status.
Former head of the Military Industrialization Authority Mustafa Ati stressed the need to facilitate the return of displaced Feyli Kurds and enable them to reclaim their rights and property.
Mohammed al-Kadhim, director of the Center for Civilizations for Culture and Literature, said commemorating Feyli Kurdish victims buried in mass graves aims to preserve their memory, show solidarity with the community and press for their rights.
The Iraqi High Criminal Court recognized the persecution, displacement and disappearances of Feyli Kurds as genocide in 2010.
Earlier estimates cited by Shafaq News put the number of forcibly disappeared Feyli Kurds at around 22,000, with many believed to have been buried in mass graves. At the time, al-Mandalawi said a specialized court had been formed to investigate their fate and that 70 death certificates had been issued for missing Feyli victims. Many remained officially registered as alive in Iraq’s civil records.
A January 2026 Shafaq News report said Iraq’s efforts to address the Feyli Kurdish case remain incomplete, including unresolved cases involving missing persons, citizenship restoration, compensation and property restitution.
