Feyli Kurds genocide is ‘unforgettable,’ says PM Barzani
The Prime Minister urged the Iraqi government to fulfill its constitutional and moral duties and compensate the Feyli Kurds and all victims of the previous Baath regime.
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) – Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani on Thursday said that “the genocide of the Feyli Kurds is unforgettable and a tragic crime which was part of a series of crimes committed with the aim of eliminating Kurdish identity,” according to a statement from the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG).
“In commemoration of the 44th anniversary of the Feyli Kurd genocide, we honorably remember the brothers and sisters of the Feyli Kurds who were arrested, killed, disappeared, and deprived of their identity during an exterminatory campaign launched by the former Iraqi regime just for being Kurds and supporting the Kurdistan people's revolution,” the statement read.
The Prime Minister urged the Iraqi government to fulfill its constitutional and moral duties and compensate the Feyli Kurds and all victims of the previous Baath regime.
“We pay tribute to the souls of the Feyli Kurds and all Kurdistan's martyrs on the anniversary of the genocide against the Feyli Kurds,” Barzani concluded.
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.
We honor the memory of the victims of the Feyli Kurds genocide, who were killed in a horrific wave because they were Kurdish and supported the Kurdistani revolution.
— Masrour Barzani (@masrourbarzani) April 4, 2024
It is past time for the federal government to compensate the families. pic.twitter.com/SBFBJOiKjb
