Parliament's Presidency on 38th anniversary of killing of the Barzanis: 'The beginning of a series of crimes against people of Kurdistan'

On the 38th anniversary of the disappearance and killing of the Barzanis from the forced resettlement camps in Qushtapa, Harir and Soran, we honour and pray for their pure souls and we never forget this tragedy.

The disappearance and killing of the Barzanis was the beginning of a series of crimes by the Ba’ath regime against the people and territory of Kurdistan. After the mass killing of the Barzanis, the fascist Ba’ath regime attacked Halabja and other areas of Kurdistan, all to erase the national identity of the people of Kurdistan. Like other crimes of genocide, it could not change the identity of the people or of the land of Kurdistan. The people of Kurdistan and the courageous Peshmerga continued to struggle for their rights.

On this day of remembrance, we call on the Iraqi government to carry out its legal and moral responsibility to compensate the victims of the massacres, of the Anfal campaign and of the chemical weapons attacks on Kurdistan, and we call on parliaments of all countries around the world to recognize this crime as a genocide and to continue to support the Kurdistani people and those who suffer oppression.

In the Kurdistan Parliament, we will not hesitate to pass laws to protect the rights of the survivors.

Presidency of Kurdistan Parliament

31 July 2021