Kurdistan Region President urges Iraqi government to compensate Feyli Kurds

ERBIL (Kurdistan24) – The President of the Kurdistan Region, Nechirvan Barzani, on Thursday urged the Iraqi government to provide compensation to the Feyli Kurds and to return their property and citizenship to them, according to a statement from the Kurdistan Region Presidency.

“As we mark the 44th anniversary of the genocide perpetrated by the Iraqi regime against thousands of Feyli Kurds, we recognize the fact that they were killed, arrested, expelled, and disappeared during the brutal campaign. They were stripped of their citizenship and property because they were Kurds and supported the Kurdistan revolution,” the statement read.

“It is a dark history and a bitter past filled with mistakes in Iraq that have caused misery and instability for the country. May the past serve as a lesson for all of us and for the future,” the statement added.

The Feylis are ethnic Kurds and followers of the Shiite sect of Islam. The former Ba’athist regime in the early 1980s launched a systematic ethnic cleansing campaign. Thousands were killed and others were deported to Iran, stripped of their Iraqi citizenship. The campaign was widespread and included Baghdad, Diyala, Kut, Khanaqin, Jalawla, Numaniyah, Mandali, Naft Khana, Badra, Gassan, and many other places.

Between 10,000 and 20,000 young Feylis are estimated to have been killed by the former regime. Many Feylis, who are predominantly merchants and businesses, were also stripped of their properties and assets.

Although the Iraqi High Tribunal in 2008 and the Iraqi Parliament in 2010 officially recognized the genocide of the Feyli Kurds, they have not been granted Iraqi citizenship nor compensated for the crimes committed against them.