President Barzani: “Kurdistan Chose Forgiveness Over Revenge—Its Freedom Was Earned by Sacrifice, Not Charity”

ERBIL (Kurdistan24) – In a speech that was at once a historical testament, a searing indictment of past and present injustices, and a profound reflection on the resilience and moral character of the Kurdish nation, President Masoud Barzani on Tuesday addressed the Fifth International Conference on the Recognition of the Kurdish Genocide, declaring that while the people of Kurdistan taught the world an unparalleled lesson in mercy by refusing to seek revenge on their tormentors, the systematic crimes of genocide committed against them will "never, ever be forgotten." 

Speaking before an audience of international guests, academics, and survivors, President Barzani delivered a powerful and emotional address that meticulously chronicled a century of systematic persecution, culminating in a resolute demand for international recognition, constitutional justice, and concrete guarantees that such atrocities are never repeated.

The conference, a landmark collaboration between the Kurdistan Regional Government's Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research and the Ministry of Health, was held at the University of Duhok. Its stated aim is the scientific documentation of the Anfal crimes and mass graves to build an unassailable case for global recognition.

President Barzani's presence and deeply personal speech underscored the immense national significance of this effort, transforming the academic gathering into a solemn state occasion and a pivotal moment in the long struggle for historical justice.

Welcoming the attendees, President Barzani acknowledged the heart-wrenching nature of the documented evidence presented.

"What we have just witnessed of pictures documenting these crimes is heartbreaking," he began, setting a somber tone for his remarks. "The fate of the people of Kurdistan, throughout history, has been nothing but pain, suffering, and oppression."

He then embarked on a detailed and chronological recounting of the systematic campaigns of annihilation that defined much of the last century for the Kurdish people. "And especially in the last century, in a very systematic and planned manner, the genocide of the people of Kurdistan began."

He traced the start of this modern genocide to the persecution of the Faili Kurds between 1975 and 1980, a campaign that involved the mass expulsion of thousands of families, the plundering of their possessions, and the forced disappearance of 12,000 young men aged 18 to 30.

President Barzani then revealed a horrifying and little-known detail of their fate. "What has become known and revealed to us is that a large number of young Faili men, and Barzanis as well, were taken to Akashat and Qaim, and there, chemical weapons were experimented on them," he stated, exposing a new layer of premeditated brutality.

This was followed, he continued, by the Anfal of the Barzanis in 1983, the widespread Anfal campaigns across all of Kurdistan in 1987 and 1988, and a series of chemical bombardments in the Khoshnawati and Balisan valleys, and in the Nerwa area of Amedi.

The "culmination of those crimes," he said, was the infamous chemical bombardment of Halabja on March 16, 1988. He brought this grim history into the present by referencing the "last major genocide that makes the heart of humanity bleed when it sees it," the genocide of the Yazidis in 2014.

"All this shows, phase by phase, what oppression and injustice have been inflicted upon this nation, and what sacrifices this nation has made for the freedom it has achieved," President Barzani stated.

In a pivotal and deeply reflective part of his speech, President Barzani contrasted the sheer scale of these crimes with the remarkable restraint and magnanimity shown by the Kurdish people when the tides of power turned.

He recounted the 1991 uprising, when two full corps of the Iraqi army—the very soldiers who had carried out the Anfal, destroyed 4,500 villages, and perpetrated countless atrocities—fell into the hands of the Peshmerga and the Kurdish populace.

"Not a single Iraqi soldier was killed, not a single one was humiliated," he declared, emphasizing that the Kurdish people distinguished between the soldiers and the architects of the genocide. "The great crime was committed by those who ordered this crime."

In a historical turn of events whose profound moral weight has, as the President lamented, yet to be fully appreciated by the world, the victims refused to become victimizers.

 "Unfortunately, the value and appreciation of this stance of the people of Kurdistan has not yet been recognized," he said, a subtle but sharp critique of a world that often fails to acknowledge such profound acts of mercy.

He further underscored the exceptional nature of the crimes committed against his people, posing a rhetorical question to the international community.

"In which country in the world has the government... chemically bombarded its own people? Other than Kurdistan," he asserted.

"A state may use chemical... military weapons against another state... but it does not chemically bombard its own people. But in Kurdistan, as we have seen in those pictures, suckling infants, pregnant mothers, all were martyred," President Barzani stated.

The purpose of remembering these horrors, he stressed, is not to dwell on the past but to secure the future.

"What is important is that these crimes are not forgotten. So that the coming generations know what happened to their fathers and grandfathers. So they know at what price this freedom has been achieved," he said, adding with defiant pride, "It is not by anyone's favor, and no one has done us a charity."

The ultimate goal, he declared, is to ensure that such atrocities are never repeated. "There must be guarantees that these crimes will never be repeated again, neither in Kurdistan nor anywhere else."

President Barzani then turned his attention directly to the Anfal survivors present in the hall, offering them a tribute that sought to redefine their identity from one of victimhood to one of honor.

"I give them a warm welcome. And, the word 'survivor' does not fully encapsulate you. You are not survivors, you are the symbol of the resistance and honor of this nation," he proclaimed. "You are the dear ones of every Kurdish and Kurdistani family... I know, I feel very well what pain and suffering you have endured."

From this recognition of honor, he pivoted to a firm demand for justice and restitution.

He asserted that compensating the victims is the undeniable duty of both the KRG and the Iraqi federal government.

"Compensation not as a favor," he clarified, "but that their rights will be given."

He acknowledged that no amount of money could ever equal the price of the blood that was shed, but described compensation as a "symbolic" act necessary for justice to take its course. He placed this responsibility squarely on the current Iraqi state.

"Compensating these people is the duty of the federal government. Because it is the heir of the government that committed these crimes. It is their duty. They cannot evade this responsibility," President Barzani stated. 

He also cited Article 132 of the Iraqi constitution, which makes it obligatory for the government to compensate the victims.

He then broadened his call for justice to the international arena, thanking the parliaments of Iraq (2008), Sweden (2012), and the United Kingdom (2013) for having already recognized the genocide. "We also appeal to other parliaments, European and worldwide... to also make the same decision and have it recognized as genocide," he urged, framing this as a "very sacred duty."

Looking to the future of Iraq after the upcoming elections, President Barzani expressed his hope for a "safer and healthier situation" where the constitution is the ultimate arbiter between the region and Baghdad.

However, he issued a stark warning that the poisonous ideology that fueled the genocide has not been entirely eradicated. "As we see, there are still some left who are under the influence of the culture that created the Anfal. This cannot remain; that culture cannot remain in Iraq."

In closing, President Barzani expressed his "endless thanks" to the people of Iraq's Muthanna province for their cooperation in the discovery of mass graves, a kindness he vowed would never be forgotten.

He also extended special gratitude to Professor Dr. Yassin Kareem for his pivotal role in documenting the genocide and identifying victims, and in a moving gesture of recognition, announced that he would be presenting the prestigious Barzani Medal to the professor.

"We also pledge to all our dear ones," he concluded, "until our last breath, we will try, so that not a single bone of our martyrs remains un-returned."