Iraqi Presidency calls for recognition of Anfal Massacre as international crime of genocide

Stressing the need for the Anfal massacre to be formally recognised as an international crime of genocide, Iraqi Presidency urges its Permanent Mission to the United Nations to intensify efforts to secure official international recognition of this crime.

The Presidency of the Republic of Iraq issued a statement on the 37th anniversary of the Anfal massacre, which was perpetrated by the former regime against the Kurdish people. 

The statement on Monday reads as follows:

"On the solemn anniversary of the heinous Anfal crime perpetrated by the former regime against the Kurdish people — a campaign that claimed the lives of more than 180,000 innocent civilians, including children, youth and the elderly — the Presidency of the Republic reaffirms its unequivocal condemnation of this atrocity and reiterates its recognition of the Anfal campaign as a crime of genocide.

As we commemorate this painful occasion, we honor the memory of the martyrs, whose sacrifices form part of the foundation of Iraq’s democratic system. The Presidency calls upon the Council of Representatives to enact legislation that ensures both material and moral compensation for the families of the Anfal victims. We also emphasize the imperative of formally recognizing the Anfal campaign as an international crime of genocide. In this regard, we urge Iraq’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations to intensify its diplomatic efforts to secure official recognition of this crime as one of the gravest violations of human rights and international law and to ensure its official acknowledgment by the United Nations. 

Iraq’s federal, parliamentary, democratic system stands as a model of governance in the region and a source of pride for all its citizens. The Iraqi people — particularly our fellow citizens in the Kurdistan Region — endured profound suffering under the tyranny of the former dictatorship, a regime that threatened not only Iraq’s internal stability but also regional peace and global security.

At this critical juncture, we call upon all components of the Iraqi nation — Arabs and Kurds, Shia and Sunnis, Christians, Turkmen and others — to unite in upholding our democratic system, which guarantees peace, justice and coexistence for all."