Latest news with #Feylis
Shafaq News
31-05-2025
- Politics
- Shafaq News
Stateless in their homeland: The unending exile of Iraq's Feyli Kurds
Shafaq News/ In the quiet alleys of eastern Baghdad, Amira Abdul-Amir Ali moves through her days under the weight of silence. Her footsteps echo with decades of exclusion—an exile not from geography, but from legal existence. Born in 1960 and raised in Iraq, she remains, at 64, a citizen of nowhere. No official record affirms her Iraqi identity. Her life is suspended in a bureaucratic void—without recognition, rights, or recourse. Amira's story mirrors that of tens of thousands of Feyli Kurds, a Shiite Kurdish minority deeply woven into Iraq's social and economic fabric. For generations, they ran businesses, held public posts, and called Iraq home. But shifting political tides erased that belonging. Displacement by Decree The persecution of the Feyli Kurds was deliberate and protracted. In the early 1970s, the Baath regime under President Ahmed Hassan al-Bakr initiated mass deportations, accusing Feylis of 'Iranian allegiance.' Under Saddam Hussein, the campaign intensified, peaking in 1980 with one of Iraq's most egregious state-led displacements. Citizenship papers vanished overnight. Families were rounded up and forced into Iran. Homes, shops, and savings were confiscated. Over 500,000 Feyli Kurds were expelled, according to estimates. Thousands of young men disappeared, likely executed or buried in unmarked graves. Baghdad's Feyli professionals and merchants were among the hardest hit. The Iraqi Ministry of Human Rights reports that more than 1.3 million people went missing nationwide between 1980 and 1990. Feyli Kurds bore a disproportionate share of that toll. Recognition Without Relief In 2010, Iraq's High Criminal Court classified the deportations and disappearances as genocide. A year later, Parliament echoed that recognition. Yet these acknowledgments, while historic, brought little in practice. Pledges to restore citizenship, return property, and compensate victims remain largely unfulfilled. Many survivors returned to Iraq after the 2003 fall of Saddam Hussein—hopeful, but soon entangled in a labyrinth of paperwork. Reinstating citizenship required documents lost during exile or raids, and the state offered scant support in recovering them. A Name Without a Nation Amira's life exemplifies this bureaucratic limbo. Deported with her family in 1980, she spent decades in Iran. There, she married an Iraqi prisoner of war in a religious ceremony—valid by custom, but unregistered by Iraqi authorities. After returning to Iraq post-2003, her husband failed to submit her nationality paperwork. When he died, Amira was left alone, legally invisible. She holds no national ID, cannot access public healthcare or education, and is excluded from Iraq's food ration system. 'All I ask is to be treated like everyone else,' she told Shafaq News. 'To restore just a piece of my lost dignity.' Her entire legal identity today fits in a worn file folder—an unregistered marriage contract, a few aging residency papers—none sufficient to restore her rights. Bureaucracy and Gender Iraqi law allows reinstatement of Feyli citizenship in principle, but implementation is sluggish and inconsistent. For women, the hurdles are even greater. Iraq's civil registry system still leans heavily on male guardianship. Without a husband or male relative to file her case, Amira has effectively vanished from official records. Her experience reveals how gender compounds legal exclusion. Years in exile, outdated rules, and systemic corruption create a maze most cannot navigate. Her case is just one of hundreds stuck in this legal paralysis. Human Rights Watch has noted that Iraq's transitional justice efforts are undermined by fragmented politics and selective enforcement. Legal structures exist, but urgency and willpower are lacking. Genocide as Daily Reality The 2010 genocide ruling was a milestone—but more than a decade later, material justice remains absent. Property has not been restored. Compensation has not reached most victims. And citizenship remains elusive for many. Some Feyli Kurds have reintegrated. But others—like Amira—live in legal shadows. For them, 'genocide' is not merely a past crime—it is a daily condition. 'I live as though I have no right to anything… no home, no document, no voice,' Amira said. 'Orphaned by both parents—I just want to be treated as an Iraqi. That's all.' A Humanitarian Path Forward Amira continues to appeal to Iraqi leaders—especially Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani and Interior Minister Abdul-Amir al-Shammari—seeking a humanitarian solution. Iraqi law does include provisions for exceptional cases, particularly involving mixed marriages and displaced persons, but they are rarely and inconsistently applied. Human rights advocates stress the need for urgent administrative reform: simplify application procedures, recognize informal marriages in exile, and allow women to reclaim citizenship without male intermediaries. The United Nations defines legal identity as a foundational right—one that enables access to education, healthcare, political participation, and economic life. Without it, individuals are effectively erased from public existence.
Shafaq News
16-05-2025
- Politics
- Shafaq News
PHD against genocide and war: A Feyli woman's fight
Shafaq News/ Before she ever stepped into a lecture hall or drafted a thesis on water resources, Leqaa Jabar Kaki al-Diwali learned the cost of identity. She was only nine when Iraqi security forces raided her family's home in Baghdad. Her grandparents and three uncles were taken without warning. That morning marked the beginning of a life shaped by disappearance, displacement, and exile. As Feyli Kurds—a Shiite minority long targeted under Baathist rule—her family was swept up in a campaign that cast them as traitors. Branded with accusations of 'foreign loyalty,' tens of thousands were stripped of citizenship and deported to Iran in the early 1980s. Leqaa would never see her grandparents again. They died far from the only home they had ever known. Systemic Erasure The persecution of Feyli Kurds spans decades. Under former Presidents Ahmed Hassan al-Bakr and Saddam Hussein, state violence escalated from harassment to full-scale deportation. By the early 1980s, nearly half a million Feylis had been forced across the border. Their homes, businesses, and documents were seized. An estimated 15,000 young men vanished into prisons or mass graves. Despite this, the community had long contributed to Iraq's cultural and economic fabric. In Baghdad, Feylis worked in civil service, academia, and commerce—visibility that made them even more vulnerable. In 2010, Iraq's High Criminal Court recognized the deportations as genocide. Parliament echoed that judgment a year later. Yet acknowledgment has yielded little in practice. Most survivors still await compensation, restitution, or meaningful engagement from state institutions. From Exile to Academic Triumph Leqaa's story mirrors that of her people—but she refused to let it end in loss. In May 2025, she earned a PhD in hydrology from the University of Damascus, defending a dissertation on water management in Erbil's Dashti Hawler Basin. The degree represented far more than academic achievement—it was a personal reclamation. Her academic journey began in Baghdad, where she completed her undergraduate degree but was blocked from public-sector employment due to her background. She later worked within Iraq's Parliament and resumed her studies in 2012. A master's degree followed in 2019. In 2022, she applied to Damascus for doctoral research—and was accepted. Then the war returned. A Doctorate Amid Ruins Syrian policy required her to live in-country during her program. Leqaa left her husband and children behind in Baghdad and moved to Damascus. Months later, a major offensive collapsed the regime, turning the capital into a battlefield. With flights canceled and roads perilous, she traveled back and forth overland—through al-Bukamal and Deir ez-Zor—crossing combat zones by bus and sometimes on foot. 'There were times I came under bombardment,' she told Shafaq News. 'But I had no choice. I kept going.' When Damascus fell in December 2024, she fled west with other civilians. Bombs rained down as they pushed toward the Lebanese border. 'We dropped to the ground, ran, then dropped again,' Leqaa recalled. 'We did whatever it took to survive.' After 36 hours at the border, she reached Lebanon and eventually returned to Iraq. But her dissertation remained behind. The university refused to transfer her file, and Iraqi institutions were powerless to help. If she wanted her PhD, she had to go back—alone. The Last Ascent In early 2025, she reentered Syria and rented a modest apartment near the university. For three months, she lived in near-complete isolation. She stepped out only when absolutely necessary, avoiding checkpoints and combat. 'It was dangerous, but I didn't want to endanger anyone else,' Leqaa affirmed. In May, she defended her thesis. Despite the chaos, despite the violence, despite the years lost to war and statelessness, Leqaa passed with distinction.
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
05-04-2025
- Politics
- Shafaq News
Kirkuk marks Feyli Martyrs Day
Shafaq News/ on Saturday, Iraq's Feyli Kurdish community gathered in Kirkuk to commemorate Feyli Martyrs' Day, renewing appeals for justice, the implementation of court rulings, and stronger political representation within the Iraqi state. The ceremony opened with a recitation of Surah Al-Fatiha in honor of those who lost their lives in state-led campaigns of violence, followed by speeches addressing the historical and ongoing challenges faced by the Feyli Kurds. Amar al-Feyli, head of the Fifth Branch of the Feyli Kurdish Front in Kirkuk, underscored the weight of the day. 'The Feyli Kurdish Front commemorates this painful occasion, which holds historical significance. It is observed to remember the tragedies and disasters the Feyli Kurds have faced throughout the ages,' he told Shafaq News. This year's ceremony came weeks after Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani designated April 2 as the official Feyli Martyrs' Day and allocated a plot of land to establish a dedicated cemetery for Feyli victims. While the move marked a formal gesture of recognition, it has sparked disagreement within segments of the community. Many Feylis argue that April 4 is more historically appropriate, as it aligns more directly with the dates of mass deportations and executions carried out by the former Baathist regime. The Feyli Kurds, an ethnically Kurdish and predominantly Shiite minority, were subjected to systematic persecution under Saddam Hussein's government, particularly during the 1980s. Thousands were stripped of citizenship, forcibly deported, imprisoned, and executed in what historians have described as a campaign driven by both ethnic and sectarian motives. Despite decades having passed since the fall of the regime, the scars remain. Thousands of Feylis are still missing, and large numbers continue to live in displacement, especially in Iran. While several court decisions have acknowledged the atrocities committed against the community, Feyli leaders stress that the practical implementation of these rulings remains elusive.
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.
