Qubad Talabani: Families of the Anfal victims must be compensated morally and materially

Qubad Talabani's Media Office

Deputy Prime Minister Qubad Talabani.

On the 35th anniversary of the Anfal catastrophe, Qubad Talabani, the Deputy Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Region, issued a statement in which he stated that "the Iraqi government must compensate the relatives of Anfal victims and the Kurdish people." 

In his message, Qubad Talabani said:

April 14 is not merely a day to honor the 182,000 innocent individuals subjected to a deliberate act of genocide at the hands of the deposed Ba'ath regime. Because the Anfal process intended to erase and eliminate the whole Kurdish people, this day is not only a special event for the relatives of the Anfal victims but also a significant national occasion for the Kurdish people. Those who perished in the Anfal are witnesses to crimes, while those who lived survived by chance.

In fact, April 14 is a day to reflect on the fate of the Kurdish people, who have continued to be victims of successive oppressive regimes and to remember all the innocent Kurds who have been victims of oppressive regimes throughout history. It is also a day to consider ending all forms of human oppression in Kurdistan and Iraq, regardless of their structure. 

If we do not have compassion for the oppressed, we cannot commemorate the memory of the Anfal victims. Respecting the memory of the Anfal victims entails ending all types of oppression and discrimination against human rights, including providing moral and financial compensation to the victims' relatives.

I would like to take this opportunity to remind you that the Iraqi government owes the Kurdish people and the relatives of the Anfal victims compensation. I urge the Kurdish political forces and Kurdish representatives in Baghdad, particularly the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) representatives, to use all of their resources to help the families of the Anfal victims receive compensation. A portion of Iraq's annual budget should also include monetary funds to assist Anfal victims' families and the regions where the Anfal occurred.



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