Politics

PM Barzani Urges Baghdad to Compensate Barzani Genocide Victims on 43rd Anniversary

He said the people of Kurdistan "will never forget these atrocities" and would continue to defend their national achievements while honoring the sacrifices made in pursuit of their legitimate rights.

Kurdistan Masrour Barzani Barzani Anfal campaign

ERBIL (Kurdistan24) – Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani on Friday commemorated the 43rd anniversary of the Barzani genocide, describing it as one of the former Iraqi regime's "most heinous crimes" and urging Baghdad to compensate the families of genocide victims.

"Today is the 43rd anniversary of the genocide of thousands of innocent Barzanis, one of the most heinous crimes committed by the former Iraqi regime," Barzani said in a post on X.

He said the people of Kurdistan "will never forget these atrocities" and would continue to defend their national achievements while honoring the sacrifices made in pursuit of their legitimate rights.

Barzani also called on the Iraqi federal government to fulfill its "constitutional duty and moral responsibility" by compensating the families of victims of genocide, the Anfal campaign, and all those killed under the former regime.

"I salute all the martyrs and victims of genocide in Kurdistan," he added.

July 31 marks the anniversary of the Barzani Anfal campaign, widely regarded as the first phase of the former Iraqi regime's genocide against the Kurdish people. Beginning in late July 1983, Iraqi security forces carried out mass arrests of Barzani men and boys across several collective settlements, with more than 8,000 people forcibly disappeared and later killed.

In 2011, the Iraqi High Tribunal ruled that the crimes committed against the Barzanis constituted genocide. However, the genocide has yet to be formally recognized by the Iraqi parliament or the federal government, and many victims' families are still awaiting compensation and other legal rights.

 

 

Kurdistan24 ,