In a statement marking the anniversary of the chemical attack carried out by the Saddam Hussein regime in the city of Halabja in South Kurdistan on March 16, 1988, the Co-Presidency of the KCK Executive Council commemorated those who lost their lives in the massacre and said: “The Kurdish people will never forget the massacres they have experienced, especially the Halabja massacre, and by bringing their struggle for existence and freedom to a successful conclusion, they will hold the massacre mentality historically accountable.”
The statement reads as follows:
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We are marking the anniversary of the Halabja Massacre—one of the most brutal massacres in human history, perpetrated against the Kurds—with great sorrow and anger. We respectfully commemorate those who lost their lives in the massacre of Halabja. We strongly condemn the murderers who carried out the Halabja Massacre—those devoid of morality, conscience, and humanity—and their genocidal mindset. The Kurdish people will never forget the massacres they have endured, particularly the Halabja Massacre. They will hold the perpetrators of these historic atrocities accountable by bringing their struggle for existence and freedom to a successful conclusion.
The Halabja Massacre was carried out to prevent the Kurdish people’s awakening and rise against colonialist regimes during a period when the freedom struggle of Kurdistan was gaining momentum. It was in the same period and for the same purpose that massacres were also carried out in the other parts of Kurdistan. These massacres have inflicted immense suffering on our people. Hundreds of thousands of Kurds lost their lives in these massacres. Our people have endured indescribable pain. However, these massacres did not achieve their intended goals. The Kurdish people, by winning their struggle for existence, prevented the perpetrators from achieving their objectives. While the massacres were intended to suppress the Kurdish people’s awakening, the opposite result emerged. Through its struggle against the massacres, the Kurdish people further developed its national consciousness and organization and succeeded in breaking the policy of denial.
Our people, who waged a struggle for survival in the past, are now fighting to resolve the issue of freedom. However, the threat of massacre persists in this era as well. This danger has been experienced in Sheikh Maqsoud and in Rojava. Our people have thwarted the massacre—which was intended to be carried out through Rojava and aimed to pit the Kurdish people against other peoples to provoke conflict—by launching a massive uprising across the four parts of Kurdistan and abroad. Those who sought to hinder the Kurdish awakening through massacres in the past are now attempting to prevent the Kurdish people from achieving freedom using the same methods. Therefore, our people must continue the stance of unity and struggle they have developed for Rojava. The way to prevent massacres lies in our people strengthening their democratic unity and advancing the struggle on this basis.
On this occasion, we also pay our respects to those who gave their lives in the Beyazıt Massacre of March 16, 1978, and the seven revolutionary students who were killed, as well as those who gave their lives in the Qamishlo Massacre of March 12, 2004, and the Gazi Massacre of March 12, 1995. While condemning those who carried out all these massacres, we believe that our people will certainly hold them accountable through the perspective of the democratic nation and a common struggle strategy.”
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