“Grave Insult”: Advocacy groups condemn partisan categorization of Anfal Kurdish genocide victims
Shafaq News/ The designation of Kurdish genocide victims from the Anfal campaign as "martyrs" of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) is "unacceptable,” organizations focused on addressing genocide against Kurds said on Wednesday.
Hemin Haseeb, the media coordinator for these organizations, told Shafaq News Agency, "The partisan categorization of Kurdish genocide victims is unacceptable. With deep regret and astonishment, the General Director of the Mass Graves Directorate at Iraq’s Martyrs Foundation, Diyaa Karim, made irrational statements during two television interviews, describing the victims of the Anfal crimes as martyrs of the PUK and the Barzani genocide victims as martyrs of the KDP."
"This is a grave insult to the victims of the genocide," he added. "This categorization represents a serious disrespect for the Iraqi High Criminal Court's rulings, which recognized the crimes committed against the Kurds as acts of genocide."
The official also pointed out that Karim's remarks followed the discovery of a mass grave for Anfal victims in Tal al-Sheikhiyah, Samawa desert, which reportedly included the remains of children as young as one month. "How can an infant, who has yet to understand life, be categorized along partisan lines?" he questioned.
Speaking on behalf of writers, activists, and organizations opposing genocide against the Kurdish people, the official strongly rejected these statements and called for Karim to be summoned by the Parliamentary Committee for an investigation into his remarks.
Haseeb further requested an official statement from the director of the Mass Graves Directorate to be issued in both Arabic and Kurdish, containing a "clear and explicit apology" to the souls of the victims of the Kurdish genocide.
Anfal Campaign
The Anfal campaign, which began in 1986 and intensified in 1988 before continuing until 1989, was led by Ali Hassan al-Majid, infamously known as "Chemical Ali," who was the Secretary General of the Ba'ath Party's Northern Bureau and served as the region's military governor, while the military operations were commanded by former Iraqi Defense Minister Sultan Hashim.
On May 3, 2011, the Iraqi High Criminal Court classified the Anfal campaign as a "crime against humanity and genocide" and convicted al-Majid, who was also responsible for a chemical attack on Halabja. Al-Majid was sentenced to death, and the execution took place on January 25, 2010.
The Kurdistan Regional Government has designated April 14 annually as a day of remembrance for the victims of this genocide.
