The Kurdish community in Iraqi Kurdistan, North and East Syria, Aleppo and the Kurdish-majority cities of Turkey pause to reflect on one of the darkest chapters in recent history as the world commemorates the 36th anniversary of the Halabja genocide.
On 16 March 1988, Saddam Hussein’s regime unleashed a brutal chemical attack on the Kurdish town of Halabja in northern Iraq, leaving an indelible mark on the conscience of humanity.
The horrific attack, which used chemical weapons including sarin, VX and mustard gas, targeted civilians indiscriminately and resulted in the deaths of more than 5,000 men, women and children. Thousands more suffered debilitating injuries, and survivors have been left with lifelong health complications and psychological trauma.
Kurdish Institute calls for recognition of Halabja Genocide
In a solemn commemoration, the Kurdish Institute for Research and Science has issued a statement recalling the harrowing events of Halabja and highlighting the lasting physical and genetic effects of the chemical agents used, including mustard gas.
The statement highlights the wider context of aggression against the Kurdish people and condemns the systematic attempts at erasure and assimilation by dominant ideologies and states, including Syria, Turkey and Iran. The Kurdish Institute for Research and Science specifically refers to the Anfal campaign, which resulted in the deaths of over 150,000 Kurds, and places the Halabja attack within a wider pattern of genocidal actions against the Kurdish population.
The Institute calls on the international community to recognise the Halabja massacre as genocide and to uphold the principles and obligations set out in international treaties, including the Geneva Convention and the Lausanne Agreement. The statement highlights the collective failure to address and redress the injustices faced by the Kurdish people and calls for a renewed commitment to justice and recognition.
KNK envoy criticises international inaction on Kurdish plight
Adem Uzun, a prominent founding member and emissary of the Kurdistan National Congress (KNK), also condemned the silence of regional countries and the Western world in response to Saddam Hussein’s use of chemical weapons against the Kurds. He emphasised the haunting echoes of history as he pointed to the continuing plight of the Kurdish people.
In a stinging denunciation, Uzun implicated Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan as the contemporary architect of military and political plans to annex Kurdistan. He accused Erdoğan’s government of committing atrocities against Kurds, including the alleged use of chemical weapons by the Turkish army over the past three years.
Uzun expressed frustration at the lack of international action, highlighting the failure of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) to investigate the reported use of chemical weapons in the region, despite evidence being presented.
KCDK-E highlights Kurdish struggle for freedom and equality
Another statement came from the European Kurdish Democratic Societies Congress (KCKD-E) . The KCDK-E highlighted March as a month of both atrocities and resistance for the Kurdish people, referring to the historical attempts of the colonial powers to suppress their struggle for freedom and equality through massacres and genocidal policies. The statement recalled atrocities such as the Halabja Genocide, the Turkish state’s Gazi massacre in Istanbul in 1995 and the Syrian regime’s provocations leading to conflicts between Kurds and Arabs in 2004.
The statement stressed that despite these efforts, the Kurdish people have remained resilient, with each massacre only strengthening their determination for freedom. It condemned Turkey’s continuing attacks in Iraqi Kurdistan and northern and eastern Syria.
