Son of late French First Lady to deliver speech to Kurdistan Parliament on anniversary of mother’s dead

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – To mark the 10th anniversary of former French First Lady Danielle Mitterrand’s death, her son Gilbert Mitterrand will deliver a speech to the Kurdistan Parliament on Tuesday. 

The Kurdistan Parliament observed a minute of silence on Nov. 23 to commemorate the late former French First Lady and social justice activist attended by France’s Consul General Olivier Decottignies.

Read More: Kurdistan Parliament observes minute of silence for anniversary of Danielle Mitterrand death

Gilbert Mitterrand will present his speech in front of Kurdish lawmakers on Tuesday at the beginning of the session, according to the parliament’s agenda for the day. 

A photo exhibition displaying historical photos of the French activist and her visits to the Kurdistan Region has been set up at the entrance of the parliament. 

The former French First Lady played a decisive role in urging world leaders to aid and protect the persecuted Kurdish region from Saddam Hussein’s military in 1991. She visited the nearly two million refugees who had fled a ferocious Iraqi assault to the Turkish and Iranian borders that year.

She was a strong advocate for establishing the no-fly zone over the Kurdistan Region to protect it against Saddam’s warplanes and helicopter gunships. She was later named “Mother of the Kurds” by the Kurdish leadership for her support.

Mitterrand also extended her support to the Kurds of Turkey and Iran. She sent observers to the court hearings of Kurdish activists in Turkey in the 1980s and raised awareness of the Kurdish issue in that country.

Schools in the Kurdistan Region cities of Erbil and Sulaimani are named after Mitterrand to honor her support for the Kurdish cause.