US Consul General in Erbil commemorates Fayli Kurdish genocide
Shafaq News / US Consul General in Kurdistan, Ervand Hicks Jr., commemorated on Tuesday the Al-Anfal campaign, the genocide committed against the Fayli Kurds in the 1980s by Saddam Hussein's regime.
"On the occasion of the commemoration of the genocide of the Fayli Kurds on this day, we remember the atrocities committed against them in Iraq," said Hicks Jr.
He added, "The United States government is committed to promoting human rights for all, including ethnic and religious minorities in Kurdistan and Iraq."
These days mark the 43rd anniversary of the displacement of a huge number of Iraqis from their homes and lands on the basis of racism and sectarianism.
April 1980 witnessed the beginning of the worst mass displacement operation that continued throughout the following period.
The Baathist regime issued Resolution No. 666 in 1980, which deprived the Fayli Kurds of their Iraqi citizenship and considered them Iranians.
It also committed the worst crimes against humanity, such as forcing married men from Fayli Kurdish women to divorce their wives for monetary compensation in case of their divorce or forced displacement abroad. They were also forced to flee with their wives or face arrest if they refused.
Figures indicate that about half a million Fayli Kurds were deported to Iran due to the persecution campaigns, and at least 15,000 Fayli Kurds, mostly young people, disappeared and their remains have not been found since. Prominent Fayli Kurdish businessmen and academics were specifically targeted in Baghdad.
The Iraqi parliament voted in 2011 to recognize the crimes committed against the Fayli Kurds in 1980 under Saddam Hussein's regime as genocide.
