Feyli Kurds commemorate martyr day in Baghdad
Shafaq News- Baghdad
On Friday, Feyli Kurds held a public vigil in Baghdad to mark Feyli Martyr Day, condemning past forced displacement and genocide and calling for action to uncover the fate of missing victims.
Participants
gathered near the Feyli Martyr Monument on Palestine Street, with the
attendance of officials and political figures from the Feyli community.
Fouad Ali Akbar, adviser to the Iraqi Parliament on Feyli Kurdish affairs, called on authorities to take “serious steps” to determine the fate of missing persons, noting that families continue to wait for answers, with only limited remains recovered so far.
“The gathering reaffirms the rights of victims’ families, many of whom were denied the ability to bury their relatives or visit their graves,” he stated, urging media outlets to shed light on the matter and properly commemorate the day each year.
Read more: Mass graves, missing thousands: Feyli Kurd families still seek answers
Activist Sabah Nour
Al-Din told Shafaq News that families of victims continue to face significant
hardship, especially those who have yet to recover the remains of their
relatives. She added that “Feyli Kurds still face marginalization and lack
meaningful representation in state institutions,” urging immediate measures to
guarantee their rights and role in society.
Feyli Martyr Day commemorates the forced displacement and genocide campaigns carried out against Feyli Kurds, an ethnic Kurdish group that follows Shiite Islam, between 1970 and 2003, during which authorities stripped them of Iraqi citizenship, confiscated their property, deported hundreds of thousands, and left more than 20,000 people missing.
The Iraqi government pledged in December 2010 to address the consequences of targeting Feyli Kurds, while parliament recognized the deportation and enforced disappearance of Feylis as genocide in August 2010.
Read more: Feyli Kurds: A “blood-stained” wound still awaiting justice after 46 years
