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Shafaq
News – Baghdad
Fifteen
years after the Iraqi High Criminal Court recognized the mass deportation,
displacement, and disappearance of thousands of Feyli Kurds in the 1980s as
genocide, members of the community gathered in Baghdad to reflect on the crimes
and press for renewed action.
Earlier
this week, the General Conference of Feyli Kurds hosted a panel titled
“Genocide: Effects and Evidence in the Feyli Community,” examining the lasting
impact of these events on the community.
Participants
focused on the social, psychological, and institutional consequences that
persist today, stressing the importance of preserving the community’s history
not only to honor the past but also to safeguard their identity and
contributions within Iraqi society.
Fouad
Ali Akbar, adviser on Feyli Kurdish affairs to the Iraqi Parliament, argued
that Feyli Kurds have played a crucial role in politics, culture, and the
economy, supporting religious authorities and national movements, including
leftist causes.
He
noted that “the Baath Party singled out the community because it represented a
cohesive, engaged group whose loyalty to the nation clashed with the regime’s
narrow, mono-ethnic vision,” adding that thousands of Feyli Kurds remain
missing, with their remains never recovered.
Akbar
referred to Cabinet Resolution 426 of 2010, which calls on the government to
address the lingering impacts of the genocide. ‘’Building a memorial
cemetery,’’ he said, represents a step forward—but cannot replace broader
efforts to restore the community’s full participation in society.
In
turn, former Deputy Chief Justice of the Iraqi High Criminal Court, Munir
Haddad, urged coordinated action to resolve the community’s grievances. He also
acknowledged the role Feyli Kurds played in establishing the Criminal Court,
which oversaw the execution of 39 former regime leaders—a process he described
as “a historic moment in Iraq’s pursuit of justice.”
Meanwhile,
Tarek Al-Mandalawi, head of the General National Conference of Feyli Kurds,
outlined the ongoing gaps, noting that ‘’families of martyrs have received
little or no compensation,’’ while cases of political prisoners and missing
persons remain unresolved.
He
further called on the government to act promptly, stressing that acknowledgment
alone is insufficient and that tangible change requires immediate measures.
About
the Feyli Kurds
Among
Iraq’s oldest Kurdish groups, the Feylis have lived for centuries in Baghdad,
Wasit, Diyala, Khanaqin, and Mandali. Once renowned for their contributions to
trade, education, and culture, they endured decades of systematic exclusion,
particularly under former presidents Ahmed Hassan Al-Bakr (1968–1979) and
Saddam Hussein (1979–2003).
During
that period, an estimated half a million Feylis were forcibly deported to Iran,
their properties confiscated, and citizenship revoked under allegations of
“Iranian origin.” At least 15,000 young Feylis disappeared in prisons, their
fate remaining unknown.
Iraq’s
High Tribunal later recognized the persecution as an act of genocide. Yet more
than twenty years after the fall of Saddam’s regime, crucial issues such as
citizenship restoration, compensation, and property restitution remain
unresolved, leaving many Feylis still seeking justice and acknowledgment.
Read more: Stateless in their homeland: The unending exile of Iraq’s Feyli Kurds
