Latest news with #FeyliMartyrsDay
Shafaq News
12-04-2025
- Politics
- Shafaq News
Iraqi President: Time to abolish unfair laws against Feyli Kurds
Shafaq News/ On Saturday, Iraqi President Abdul Latif Rashid called for the repeal of Baath-era laws that continue to discriminate against Feyli Kurds. During a memorial marking Feyli Martyrs Day, Rashid emphasized the need for broader justice measures. 'The presidency continues to stand with the Feyli Kurdish community in defending their rights,' he said. The statement follows Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani's decision to designate April 2 as the official date to commemorate Feyli Martyrs Day and allocate land for a cemetery honoring victims. However, some members of the Feyli community objected to the date, arguing that April 4 is more historically significant, marking the beginning of their forced displacement and persecution under Saddam Hussein's regime. Feyli Kurds suffered mass displacement, executions, and citizenship revocations during the Baathist era. According to Tareq Al-Mandalawi, the prime minister's advisor on Feyli affairs, 16,350 victims are documented in the Martyrs Foundation's records—part of an estimated 60,000 Feylis executed during Saddam's rule. Feyli Kurds are an ethnic minority with historical roots on both sides of the Zagros Mountains along the Iraq-Iran border. Today, Iraq's estimated 1.5 million Feylis reside mainly in Baghdad, the eastern provinces of Diyala, Wasit, Maysan, and Basra, as well as in the Kurdistan Region, according to the Minority Rights Group.
Shafaq News
04-04-2025
- Politics
- Shafaq News
Baghdad marks Feyli Martyrs Day
Shafaq News/ Iraq's Feyli Kurdish community held a memorial ceremony in Baghdad on Friday to mark Feyli Martyrs Day, renewing calls for justice, implementation of court rulings, and increased political representation. The event, held at the Monument to Feyli Martyrs, featured a wreath-laying ceremony and a photo exhibition documenting decades of persecution. Organizers urged authorities to enforce legal decisions related to displaced Feylis, restore confiscated properties, and address the revocation of citizenship for thousands of families. Former judge Munir Haddad, head of the National Feyli Kurdish Movement, described the atrocities committed against the community as genocide and criticized the current level of representation, calling the allocation of one quota seat in parliament 'inadequate.' He also objected to the change in the official date of the memorial from April 4 to April 2, describing it as a 'distortion of historical truth.' Baghdad Provincial Council member Amer al-Feyli said the event serves as a reminder of the mass denaturalization and forced displacement carried out under decree No. 666 by Iraq's former regime. Maher Rashid al-Feyli, leader of the Feyli Front, called for the enforcement of a 2010 ruling by Iraq's High Criminal Court recognizing the actions as genocide. 'The decisions exist, but institutions have yet to apply them,' he said. Feyli Kurds, a Shiite Kurdish minority, were targeted by Saddam Hussein's regime in a campaign that included mass deportations, imprisonment, and executions. Historians have attributed the repression to both ethnic and sectarian motives. Thousands remain missing, and many families continue to live in displacement, particularly in Iran.
Shafaq News
04-04-2025
- Politics
- Shafaq News
Al-Sulaymaniyah marks Martyrs Day
Shafaq News/ On Friday, the Feyli Kurdish community held a memorial ceremony in Al-Sulaymaniyah to mark Feyli Martyrs Day. Organized by the Germsir Association, the event included a Quran recitation for the victims and speeches addressing ongoing challenges such as displacement, political exclusion, and economic hardship. Association Secretary Shehab al-Feyli said the occasion "honors past violations and affirms the community's efforts to preserve its identity and secure its rights," and called for continued recognition and justice. Attendees urged the Kurdistan Regional Government and federal authorities to increase Feyli Kurdish representation in political institutions, citing the group's demographic size and historical contributions. Feyli Kurds, a Shia Kurdish minority, were subjected to deportations, loss of citizenship, and enforced disappearances under Saddam Hussein's rule. Thousands were expelled to Iran, and many remain unaccounted for. Iraq's High Criminal Court recognized these acts as genocide in 2011. The government designated April 2 as Feyli Martyrs Day and allocated land for a cemetery in their memory.
