The Kurdish Genocide - European Parliament

1 TheKurdish GenocideAchievingJustice throughEURecognition1 The KurdishGenocideAchievingJustice throughEURecognitionIntroductionOn28 February2013,aunanimousvotewastakenbefor etheBritishparliament,establishingoverwh elmingsupport,toformallyrecognise thatthecrimeofgenocidewascommittedagains tIraqiKurdsbyseniorofficials ofthegovernmentofSaddamHussein,basedonap olicyofextermination asignificant landmark forthevictimsofthegenocide thatareseekingpastatrocitiescommitted ,theCityofPeaceandJustice,TheHaguehasrec entlyapprovedplanstobuildamemorialsiteto commemorate ,whichistheonlystatetohaveofficiallyreco gnised areanimportantandtimelystepforwardforfac ilitatingwiderdebateaswellasmuchneededac tion,torecognisetheatrocitiescommittedby SaddamHussein s regimeagainstIraqiKurds, throughdebateandtoultimately achieveformalrecognition ,followedbyadiscussiononthegeo-political importanceof thisdiscussion,outlining governmentinpublicpronouncementsandinter nalmemorandaforaseriesofmilitarycampaign smountedbyIraq s Ba athArabSocialistParty,whichgraduallyinte nsified overasix-monthperiod, against themostlyKurdish civilianpopulation,withtheprincipleaimof exterminatingIraqiKurds.

2 Arabisation Anfalwaspartofabroaderpolicythatwasiniti atedinthe1960sonSaddamHussein sascenttopowertoethnicallycleanse Arabisation spannedtheyearsfromtheearly1960sto1991an dsucceededinsubstantiallydrivingKurdishf amilies outoftheirhomesintheKurdish ofIraqandKurdishPeshmergarebelactivityth atwasconsideredathreattoIraq Arabisation processentailedthesystematicevictionandm assdeportation ofIraqiKurdsfromthe Kurdishregiontogovernment-controlledcamp sinthesouth,essentially themiddleofthedesert,where theIraqiarmycould closelymonitortheirmovements livinginIraq'ssouthernregionswere thenmoved intotheemptyhomesofIraqiKurdswheretheywe rerelocatednexttostrategically , continued thegoalsofextermination, theAnfaloperationutilizednotonlyheavypop ulationredistri-butionrequiringthemassdi splacement,deportation ofIraqiKurds, ,womenandchildrenGovernmentStrategyCaptu redBa ,thevillagewasmarkedfordestruction afteramilitarydirectivewasintroduced,des ignatingtheareaa prohibitedzone.

3 (aconfined area)tomilitaryattackbybombingincluding, chemicalgasattacks,bywarplanes,helicopte rs, , andtookthemtodesignatedmilitarybases, intomaleandfemalegroupsbeforetheyweretak entoclandestine andforcedevictions andkillingsofIraqiKurds,asshownabove,dur ingtheAnfalphase oftheArabisationpolicy,culminating inanescalationofextremeviolence aimedatputtinganendtotheKurdish problem andSeptember 1988whenchemicalattackswereintensified , , thatin1988alone,182,000 Kurdsweredisappeared than20smalltownsandcitieswere ,atleast50,000peoplewerekilledoutofhandb etweenFebruaryandSeptember1988,althoughi tisestimated thatthefigurewasprobably closerto100, collateraldamage inIraq swaragainstKurdishrebels,butratherwerepa rtofasystematicattacktoputIraqiKurdstode athinlargenumbersbasedonordersfromthecen tralgovernment ,theKurdishRegionalGovernmentestimatesth atroughlyonemillionKurdshavedisappeareds incethe1960s, ,upto7massgraves and400bodies,mostlymaleKurds, ,anestimated70%weremen, ofHumanRightshasitselfexcavated 10graves,8ofwhichhavebeenKurdishgraves containing 3,000to4, gravesexistinthecountry, inBaghdadreportsthatitreceivesanaverageo f800bodiespermonthsince2003andisunable andKurdishRegionalGovernment incooperationwiththeInternational theAnfaloperationentail?

4 SaddamHussein s cousin,AliHassanal-Majid,who,inMarch1987 ,wasputinchargeofthegovernment snorthernregionwithunlimitedpowers,heade dtheAnfalgenocide. Al-Majid,whoconceivedofthe finalsolution toIraq sKurdishproblem,isbetterknowntoKurdsas ChemicalAli fororderingthechemicalattacksonKurdishto wnsandvillagesthatkilledandinjuredthousa ndsofcivilianwomen, asaresultoftheAnfaloperation,include15(n otethis listisillustrativeandbynomeansexhaustive ): thearbitraryarrest,interrogationanddeten tionofvillagerscapturedindesignated prohibited zones prohibitedzones ; massdisappearanceofmanytensofthousandsof civilians,includinglarge4numbersofwomena ndchildren,andsometimesentirepopulations ;anddozensofotherKurdishvillages,killing andinjuringmanythousandsofcivilians; masssummaryexecutions,particularlymenofm ilitaryageandyoungboys.

5 Thearbitrarydetentionand ware-housing formonthsin conditionsofextremedeprivation oftensofthousandsofwomen, theinterrogationandtortureofcapturedchil dren,andelderlypeoplewithoutjudicialmenb etweentheagesof15-70basedonorder,fornoot herreasonthantheirordersissuedbyAl-Majid ; ; thewholesaledestructionofsome2,000villag eswhich,accordingtoIraqi massforceddisplacementofhundredsofgovern mentrecordsfromtheAnfalperiod,thousandso fvillagersupondemolitionofwere burned , destroyed and purified ;theirhomes,theirreleasefromjail thewholesaledestructionofciviliantrucked toclandestineareasinremotepropertyinclud ingschools,religiouslocationsanddumpedth erewithminimalbuildingsandlivelihoodstru cturesinthetargetedvillages; theuseofchemicalweapons,includingmustard gas,nerve agent,Sarinoratoxiccombinationagainstthe townofHalabjaornoprovisionforrelief,hous ing, Manydiedwithinayearoftheirdisplacement;a nd Halabja?

6 TheAnfalexterminationoperationculminated inthelargest-scalechemicalattackssinceWo rldWarIdirectedagainstacivilianpopulatio n thesystematicterrormountedbytheIraqiregi meontheKurdishpopulationthatbeganwithche micalbombardmentsandmovedintoa ,massgassingof anentiretownthat killedatleast5, ,000peoplewereinjuredofsufferedlongtermi llnessfromexposuretothenerveagentsofTabu n,Sarin, thesewere crimesinvolvingtheuseof ,thecaseagainstFransvanAnraat,aDutchnati onalbusinessmanwhosoldrawmaterialsforthe productionofchemicalweaponstoSaddam' ,thechemical attacksstillmanifestinhealthproblems remainblindedfromcornealscarringfrommust ard law,thecrimeofgenocidereferstoviolentcri mescommitted againstgroups,witha special intenttodestroy,either inwholeorinpart ,theexistenceofanational,ethnic,racialor religious group, ; ; oflifecalculatedtobringaboutitsPhysicald estructioninwholeorinpart; ; targetedIraqiKurdsasmembers ofaspecificgroup,andspecificallybecauset heywereperceivedasbelongingtothisgroupby theirperpetrators.

7 Onaccountoftheirethnic orcollectiveidentity,ratherthantheirindi vidualstatus,theybecametargetsofSaddam sArabisationcampaigninwhichmanythousands wereexecutedincoldbloodandthousandsofvil lagesandcivilianbuildingsweredestroyedin ordertoannihilate ,Iraqimilitaryoperationsspecificallytarg eted Kurdishtowns,citiesandvillages innorthernIraq,underKurdish control,knowing oftheexistenceofKurdishcivilianpopulatio n centresintheregion,as confirmedby Kurdishrebelgroups andIrantogaincontroloftheKurdistanregion , intoaccount, theprerequisiteelementofbelongingtoa(tar geted) groupprotectedbytheGenocideConvention ofspecialintentordolusspecialis, aformofaggravatedcriminalintention,22itd emonstrates thattheperpetratorclearlyintendedtocause theoffenceanddidsowith the knowledgethat thecommission andelevatesgenocidefromotherinternationa l ,whyitisthe crimeofcrimes.

8 6 EvidenceofintenttocommitgenocideThespeci alintenttocommitgenocidecanbeinferredona numberofgrounds,including,that: TheAnfalphaseoftheArabisationprogrammein volvedacomprehensiveplanovereightstageso fmilitaryoperations thatwascarefullyplanned,organized andimplementedbymilitaryofficials. InJune1987,al-Majidissuedtwosuccessivese tsofmilitaryorders thatwerecentraltothedestruction Inthefirstorder,theterm saboteaurs wasredefined toincludeallKurdsinruralareasbywhichitle gallyqualifiedtheirexecutionandthat ofpersonsdirectlyrelated ,leadinguptotheAnfalcampaign,deemed prohibited zones inareaswhereKurdishhomesand landswerelocatedand Order SF/4008entailedsummaryexecutionsofKurdis hadultmalesonthebasisoftheir militaryage .Thousandsofmenbetweentheseageswerecaptu redenmasseandexecutedbythenationalauthor ities, ordisappearedandwereneverseen again.

9 Counterparts,womenandchildrenwererounded upanddisappeared orheldindetentioncampsunderconditions ofcruelandinhumanetreatment ,aselectionprocesswasputintoplacewherefa ctors takenintoaccount includedwhatethnicgroupthepersonbelonged to,theirplaceofsurrender,politicalstance , Fromthisanalysis,amanifestpatternofcondu ctbyIraqimilitaryforcesdirectedagainstKu rdishcivilianscanbedemonstratedbasedonth eexistenceofapolicytodestroyIraqiKurds. Inaddition,thepowerfuluseofchemicalweapo ns Rights Watchreport, theIraqiregimeappears tohaveusedchemicalweaponsforatleastthree purposes:oToattackbasecampsandconcentrat ions ofKurdishpeople,includingKurdishrebels;o Toinflictexemplarycollectivepunishment caseisthebombingofHalabja aftertheseizureofthetownbypeshmergaandIr anianrevolutionary onSheikhWasanand Balisan,and theAnfalattacksonSaywSenanandGoktapa.

10 OTospreadterroramongstthecivilianpopulat ion asawhole,flushingvillagersoutoftheirhome s tofacilitate theircapture, ofalmosteveryphase oftheAnfalcampaignwasmarkedbyattacksofth issort,buttheyaremostapparent inthefinalphase ofAnfalintheBadinanregion,wheremore thanthirtyvillageswerebombedsimultaneous ly Manythousandsdiedasaresult ofchemicalattacks attacks onHalabja,forexample,havehaddireconseque nces onthepopulation,becauseithasmanifested ,particularlypoisongas, that thenumberofdeaths,injuriesanddestroyedci vilianinfrastructure isnotdecisiveindeterminingwhethergenocid e occurred,agenocidal IraqiKurdsintheKurdistan region, , ,thereisstronggroundtoestablishthat thecrimescommittedbytheIraqiregimewereai medatthedestruction thegenocidebytheEUiscrucialForthevictims ofIraqiKurdistan,formalEUrecognition ofthelegacyofmassivehumanrightsviolation siscrucialtoachieveasenseofjusticeandpre servethememory ,reconciliationandtheruleoflawinacountry inwhichsystematic sregimeareapowerfulsymbolofthefailure oftheinternationalcommunity tosafeguard theindividual ,theseatrocitiesweretakingplace,andafter worldwideattention, sDelegationtoIraq,MrStruanStevensonMEP,r ecentlyunderscoredtheimportanceofrecogni singthecrimesagainsttheKurdsasgenocide.