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Press Release
Anfal and Halabja
The price of democracy in the
Middle East
Anfal
and Halabja
For a world free of weapons of genocide
Remember Anfal
and Halabja
For Global Peace and Democracy
The 16 th
of March this year marks the 17th
anniversary of the holocaust of Halabja and the genocide campaigns of Anfal
in Kurdistan. On this day in 1988, over 5000 Kurdish civilians were gassed
to death and over 10,000 scarred for life in the town of Halabja. The Kurds
call it the 'Hiroshima of chemical weapons'. This well publicised holocaust
was only a small part of an on-going campaign of ethnic cleansing,
infamously named 'the Anfal operations'. During these well-orchestrated
systematic military campaigns, conducted between February and September of
1988, 182,000 villagers (all ages) were rounded up by the Iraqi Army, never
to be seen again. Their villages, over 4000 of them, were razed to the
ground and their farms and woodlands scorched.
To achieve all this, Saddam's army used devastating conventional and
chemical weapons of mass destruction. Tragically, international complacency
allowed the Iraqi Government to continue to commit crimes against humanity
throughout Iraq and beyond. More importantly, global inaction led to further
proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and to greater instability in
the Middle East. It is therefore, recognition of Anfal and Halabja as
crimes against humanity constitutes a major milestone in securing, global
peace.
With these in mind, the Kurdish community is determined to keep the memories
of Halabja and Anfal operations alive, not only for the prevention of future
acts of genocide against the Kurds, but also for the elimination of weapons
of mass destruction world wide. .
In this year's remembrance day, politicians, academics, historians, artists
and musicians will come together to commemorate Halabja and Anfal and
highlight their political, historical and cultural implications. The meeting
will be addressed by His Excellency Dr Salah Al-Shaikhly, the first
post-Saddam Iraqi Ambassador to Great Britain, followed by a number of
distinguished speakers. T he
Programme will also include pieces of traditional and contemporary Kurdish
music, songs, poetry reading, short theatre reportage, Drama and a
photographic exhibition (full programme is attached).
In Remembrance of Anfal and Halabja
Venue: Brunei Gallery, School of Oriental and African Studies,
10 Thornhaugh Street, Russell Square, London WC1H OCG
Date: 13 th
March 2005
Time: 2.00pm – 7.00pm
ADMISSION FREE
The meeting will encompass presentations by distinguished and expert
speakers, including:
- Dr Salah Al-Shaikhly, Iraqi
Ambassador to the UK
- Ms Helen Bamber, Founder of the
Medical Foundation
- Prof. Kevin Boyle, Member of Human
Rights Centre at the University of Essex
- Dr Gareth Stansfield, Research
Fellow at the Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies, University of
Exeter
- Mr Shorsh Haji, Academic and
Researcher
- Prof. Dlawer Ala'Aldeen, Academic
and Researcher, Queen's Medical Centre, Nottingham
- Dr Munther Al Fadhal, Advisor of
Prime Minister-KRG
- Kerim Yildiz, Director of Kurdish
Human Rights Project
- Dr Sherzad Al-Talabani, Academic
There will be time for questions and discussions
- The Programme will also include
pieces of traditional and contemporary Kurdish music and songs by Tara
Jaff, Adnan Karim and Goran Mufty.
- Poetry reading by Choman Hardi.
- Teatro di Nascosto - Hidden Theatre
of Volterra, Italy, will present a short theatre reportage with the name
"Memories" or "Yadgariakan" about Anfal and the gas bombing of Halabja.
With Annet Henneman and Gianni Calastri.
- A Dramatic production by “Shaho
Kurdish Drama Group” - presenting "A message from the martyrs of
Halabja" - by Hioa
Shekh and group.
- Exhibition on Anfal and Halabja by
Fed-Bir.
- Two video documentaries on Anfal
and Halabja from South Kurdistan.
a. “Anfal” by Aref Qurbani from Kirkuk Television.
b. “Halabja” by Ibrahim Hawrami.from Halabja City.
Light refreshments and snacks will be provided
This remembrance event is organised by The Committee for Anfal and Halabja
in collaboration with the Kurdish Studies Forum, SOAS, London
In Remembrance of Anfal and Halabja is sponsored by the following
organisations:
Kurdish Cultural Centre (KCC)
Kurdish Housing Association (KHA)
Kurdistan Scientific and Medical Federation-UK (KSMF-UK, incorporating KSA &
KMA)
Kurdish Association (KA)
Kurdish Human Rights Project (KHRP)
Kurdish Women's Organisation (KWO)
Kurdish Exile Association (KEA)
Kurdish Disability Organisation (KDO)
Fed-Bir (Kurdish Federation in the UK)
Kurdistan Referendum Movement (KRM)
Centre of Halabja against Anfalization and Genocide of the Kurds (CHAK)
Hellebje Research Network Project Online (HRNPO)
Kirkuk Support Committee (KSC)
Kurdish Association for New Generation Abroad (KANGA)
Liberal Faylee Kurd Organisation (LFKO)
For further information please contact:
Kurdish Cultural Centre, Ata Mufty 07956 492252 - Tara Jaff, Tel: 020 7735
0918, e-mail: admin@kcclondon.org
Kurdish Housing Association, Tel: 020 8808 9954, e-mail:
media.zahawy@kurdishhousing.org
Kurdish Exile Association, Shaee Salar, Tel: 07838 159 381, email:
kea1996@yahoo.co.uk |
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