On Monday, July 31, 2023, Prime Minister Masrour Barzani issued a message on the anniversary of the genocide of the Barzanis:
“Today marks the fortieth anniversary of one of the most brutal crimes of the former Iraqi regime, the genocide of thousands of innocent people simply because they were Kurds and Barzani.”
“This crime was part of the racist campaign of the Ba’ath regime against the Kurdish people, which included the disappearance and genocide of the Failis, the Anfal of Barzani, Garmian, Badinian, chemical attacks on Halabja and on many other regions of Kurdistan.”
Today, we honor the victims of the Barzani Genocide and all the Kurdistani martyrs.
It is a reminder of our national story and the extraordinary sacrifices that paved the way for our progress. pic.twitter.com/7a4vs3CkKJ
— Masrour Barzani (@masrourbarzani) July 31, 2023
“Unfortunately, forty years after this tragedy, there are still people with the same chauvinist mentality, who want to violate and deprive the legitimate and constitutional rights of the Kurdish people. The Kurdish people have sacrificed thousands of lives and faced many crimes and tragedies in order to defend their national identity which they will never give up.”
“The Barzan region is one of the regions of Kurdistan, which has suffered destruction, massacre and genocide dozens of times in the past century, but all these crimes have not been able to destroy the national will and spirit of resistance.”
“Thanks to the resistance and sacrifice of our martyrs, this current constitutional structure of the Kurdistan Region has been reached and we must defend it in every way possible.”
“On the anniversary of this tragedy, we reiterate the Kurdistan Region’s demand for compensation for the families of the Anfal victims and the oppressed people of the Kurdistan Region by the Iraqi government in accordance with the constitution. We must all work to eradicate the hatred and prevent crimes like this from happening in the future.”
“On the anniversary of the genocide of the Barzanis, we pay tribute to all the martyrs of Kurdistan and always remember them with respect and dignity. I also have respect and appreciation for the proud relatives of the Anfal victims who faced a very difficult time, but were able to proudly raise their children and grandchildren. I thank the courageous and patriotic people of Erbil and its surroundings and other parts of Kurdistan, who helped the families of the Anfal victims of Barzani during this tragedy.”
“May the souls of the martyrs and all the Anfal victims of Kurdistan rest in peace. We will always remember them.”
original article (in Kurdish)