Latest news with #FeyliKurds'
Shafaq News
15 hours ago
- Politics
- Shafaq News
Feyli Kurdish Front demands recognition, rights on 8th anniversary
Shafaq News/ On Saturday, the Feyli Kurdish Front marked its eighth anniversary with a ceremony in Baghdad, renewing its call for justice, legal recognition, and political inclusion. The event, held at the party's headquarters, brought together political leaders, civil society groups, and activists. Speakers highlighted the Feyli Kurds' long-standing grievances, including forced displacement, confiscated property, and systemic exclusion—urging enforcement of constitutional rulings in their favor. Speaking to Shafaq News, Maher Rashid al-Feyli, Secretary-General of the Front, reaffirmed the group's sole mandate to represent the community's interests, encouraging unity among Feyli Kurds and stressing that achieving formal political and legal status remains the movement's top goal. While open to cooperation with other Feyli organizations, he dismissed broader coalitions, accusing dominant parties of 'stalling efforts' to restore the community's rights. Deputy Secretary-General Hamid Rashid described the anniversary as a 'strategic moment' ahead of national elections, revealing that the Front is actively evaluating alliance offers. 'We're a political home for every Feyli Kurd. Institutional recognition remains our driving mission.' Shamil al-Feyli, Deputy Secretary-General of the al-Walaa Movement, called for unity among Feyli groups, framing the gathering as 'a reaffirmation of a shared struggle for dignity.' Meanwhile, Sabah Nour al-Din, head of the Front's Women's Committee, urged national parties to support the Feyli cause. 'Our suffering demands accountability,' she remarked to our agency, adding, 'Empowering the Feyli community must become a national responsibility.'
Shafaq News
4 days ago
- Politics
- Shafaq News
Seeking justice: Baghdad Symposium addresses Feyli rights
Shafaq News/ On Wednesday, Iraqi officials, legal experts, and human rights advocates gathered in Baghdad for a symposium focused on restoring the rights of Feyli Kurds. The event was organized by the Ministry of Culture's Feyli Cultural Center in cooperation with the Iraqi High Commission for Human Rights. Discussions centered on legal accountability, citizenship restoration, property claims, and the unresolved issue of mass graves containing the remains of thousands of missing Feyli Kurds. Quais Hussein Ghayeb, director of the Commission's Minorities and Social Peace Division, said the Commission is prioritizing three key demands: reinstating citizenship for those stripped of it, compensating for seized assets, and locating and identifying mass grave sites. 'These issues are being followed up with relevant state institutions,' Ghayeb stated, noting ongoing complaints from Feyli citizens facing bureaucratic delays in recovering their nationality. He added that Baghdad's provincial council is actively supporting the citizenship file, and that the Council of Ministers has issued related recommendations. Ghayeb also highlighted legal and logistical challenges in investigating mass graves, citing current laws that restrict excavation to specific government entities. 'There is a legislative effort underway to resolve the contradiction between legal provisions and investigative needs." Feyli researcher Fereydoun Karim called the mass grave issue deeply complicated, alleging that some parties have obstructed efforts to uncover the fate of the disappeared. "Despite raising the matter with international actors, including the United Nations, there has been little tangible progress." Meanwhile, Lamia Adnan al-Mandlawi, institutional development official at Iraq's Scientific Complex, emphasized the importance of sustained follow-up. 'The symposium brought legal clarity to the Feyli Kurds' demands and reinforced the need for implementation on citizenship, property rights, and mass grave investigations,' she told Shafaq News.
Shafaq News
01-05-2025
- Politics
- Shafaq News
Cancellation of the "Feyli Genocide Commemoration"!
Shafaq News/ Amid worsening financial and administrative crises and the spread of corruption within the relevant institutions, a pressing question arises: Is there still hope for improving the conditions of the Feyli Kurds despite the modesty of their demands? Supporting this cause requires active involvement from political and governmental actors, who—although they have not given the issue sufficient attention in the past—still possess the ability to play a meaningful role in crafting practical solutions. The activities held in April remain the only formal discussions and commemorations, albeit limited, and have faced many fluctuations in recent years. At times, this process has led to positive decisions and events, and at other times, to mixed outcomes—underscoring the complexity of a path that requires engagement with authorities, political movements, legal institutions, and executive bodies, in an effort to ease the pain and consequences of this catastrophe. In recent years, there has been a noticeable increase in commemorating the tragedy, thanks to the role of nationalist and sectarian groups, along with the efforts of dedicated individuals—whether they hold influence within power structures or are volunteers who have contributed according to their means. The names of these individuals should not be overlooked when this occasion is remembered. Since 2004, the process of commemorating the tragedy has gone through several phases, with public and official participation ranging from wide attendance to hesitant presence. Today, the political, parliamentary, and governmental landscape includes a considerable number of Feyli figures, who—depending on their level of concern and sense of responsibility—can contribute to strengthening and institutionalizing this commemoration as one of Iraq's major national occasions, and among the most impactful in raising awareness of the genocidal crimes committed in the country. There is no doubt that our individual and collective efforts, combined with serious governmental support, can help expose these crimes, erase their effects, and compensate for the damage caused by the former Ba'athist regime. Despite the establishment of dozens of Feyli social and political organizations, they have—due to various reasons—so far failed to unify their efforts into effective collective activities. Nevertheless, it can be fairly said that national commitment remains a point of light that justifies the legitimacy of the Feyli Kurds' objections, especially at a time when Shiite political forces acknowledge—and even condemn in their literature—that the displacement and genocide of the Feylis constitute crimes that do not expire with time. Therefore, any talk of erasing or downplaying this massacre, however one chooses to label it, is entirely out of the question. Based on this awareness, it is essential to intensify efforts to protect the material and moral rights of the genocide survivors, whose officially registered victims at the Martyrs Foundation exceed 16,000.
Shafaq News
04-04-2025
- Politics
- Shafaq News
President Barzani on Feyli Kurds' Genocide: Iraq must restore citizenship to victims
Shafaq News/ On Friday, Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani marked the 45th anniversary of the Feyli Kurds' genocide, calling on the Iraqi government to compensate the victims 'in all aspects.' In a post on X, the Kurdish president described the genocide as a 'brutal campaign' by the former Iraqi regime, which subjected thousands of Feyli Kurds to execution, arrest, deportation, enforced disappearance, denationalization, and asset confiscation—"solely for being Kurds who supported the Kurdish revolution.' ئەمڕۆ یادی پڕ له ئازاری چل و پێنجەمین ساڵڕۆژی جینۆسایدی هەزاران کوردی فەیلی دهکهینهوه کە لە هەڵمەتێکی دڕندانەی ڕژێمی ئەوکاتی عێراقدا، ڕووبهڕووی کوشتن و دەستگیرکردن و ڕاگواستن و ونکردن و لێسەندنەوەی ڕەگەزنامە و دەستبەسەرداگرتنی ماڵ و سامانیان بوون، تەنها لەبەر ئەوەی کوردن و… — Nechirvan Barzani (@IKRPresident) April 4, 2025 Reaffirming his commitment to restoring Feyli Kurds ' rights and ensuring justice, Barzani urged the Iraqi government to fully compensate them, as ruled by Iraq's Supreme Criminal Court, while also calling for the restoration of their citizenship, the return of confiscated properties, and the resolution of ongoing issues affecting the community. 'This genocide, like all attempts at erasure and crimes against the people of Kurdistan, marks a dark chapter in history—one that brought only suffering and instability to the country,' he added. 'The past must serve as a lesson to build a better future founded on understanding, partnership, acceptance, and the protection of all communities' rights in Iraq.'
Shafaq News
04-04-2025
- Politics
- Shafaq News
PM Barzani on Feyli Kurds' Genocide: Iraq must compensate victims' families
Shafaq News/ On Friday, Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani marked the 45th anniversary of the Feyli Kurds' genocide, emphasizing the Iraqi government's constitutional duty to deliver justice to the victims' families. "Today, we remember the heinous crime that targeted a fundamental part of our people, committed by successive Iraqi regimes in several phases, reaching its peak brutality in 1980,' Barzani stated. The previous Iraqi regime forcibly deported and displaced hundreds of thousands of Feyli Kurds, disappeared thousands more, confiscated their money and property, and stripped them of their citizenship, he explained. The Kurdish PM called on the Iraqi government to fully meet its legal and constitutional responsibilities, particularly by compensating the victims' families of this genocide and other similar crimes with "fair and just compensation," and restoring their stolen rights and property. We honor the memory of the victims of the Feyli Kurds genocide, who were killed in a horrific wave because of their Kurdish identity. After 45 years, it is time the federal government compensates the families. — Masrour Barzani (@masrourbarzani) April 4, 2025
