Feyli Kurds Commemorate Martyrs’ Day, Remembering Decades of Persecution

Iraq 11:26 AM - 2026-04-04

Feyli's monument.

Feyli Kurds mark Martyrs’ Day in the first week of April, paying tribute to the victims of decades of persecution under Iraq's fallen Ba’ath regime. The Feyli Kurds are an integral component of the Kurdish nation, primarily residing along the Iraqi-Iranian border regions—including Badra, Jassan, Mandali, and Khanaqin—as well as in Baghdad. They combine Kurdish ethnicity with Shia Islam and speak southern Kurdish dialects, notably Kalhori (Feyli). They were subjected to forced displacement and acts of genocide during the final quarter of the 20th century under the former regime.

Unspeakable suffering

Nidal Talib Abdullah, a relative of a Feyli Kurd martyr, described their ordeal as “indescribable and unparalleled”.

“The henchmen of the defunct Ba’athist regime stormed the homes of innocent and defenceless citizens, forcibly taking their sons, young men, and daughters,” she said. She added that they were subjected to brutal treatment for no reason other than their identity as Feyli Kurds.

“They took my mother to the Iraqi-Iranian border and abandoned her there under the pretext of Iranian affiliation. My brother was imprisoned in Abu Ghraib and later transferred to Nuqrat Salman prison. Years later, we learned that they had been executed.”

A key component of Iraqi society

Jassim al-Sura Miri emphasised that the Feyli Kurds remain a vital component of Iraqi society, despite the hardships they have endured.

“During the era of the former regime, no Feyli Kurd was spared. Many were deported to Iran under the pretext of affiliation. Others were imprisoned, while many fell victim to systematic acts of genocide,” he said.

He called on the government to pay greater attention to this marginalised group and to address their demands in order to ease the lasting impact of their suffering.

Remembering the tragedy

Mawloud al-Fayli, a resident of Baghdad, said the commemoration serves as a reminder of both the tragedy and the resilience of the Feyli Kurds.

“Our presence here is to reaffirm the importance of this historic community, which endured some of the most severe forms of persecution and genocide at the hands of the former regime,” he said.

He noted that many Feyli Kurds were expelled to Iran and stripped of their Iraqi citizenship under accusations of foreign allegiance.

A painful memory

Widad Mohammed highlighted the enduring pain associated with the anniversary.

“Every year on 4 April, we remember more than 20,000 martyrs—our sons, brothers, and relatives—who were victims of the brutality of the Ba’ath regime under Saddam Hussein,” she said.

She added that many teenagers aged between 13 and 18 were detained, and their fate remains unknown to this day, with no information on their burial sites.

An unknown fate

Lamia Talib Abdullah recounted her personal experience during that period.

“At the time, I was working at the General Directorate of Nationality. Members of the regime came to our home asking for my husband. We went to a police station, and the following day we were transported towards the Iranian border,” she said.

“My husband was detained and never returned. We, the women and children, were abandoned at the border without documents and told to go to Iran. In Iraq, we were labelled Iranians; in Iran, we were seen as Iraqis. To this day, we do not know the fate of our loved ones or where they are buried.”

1970–2003: systematic persecution

Between 1970 and 2003, the Feyli Kurds were subjected to systematic campaigns of forced exodus and denationalisation. More than 350,000 were expelled to Iran, while over 20,000 people disappeared, with their remains never recovered.

Political support

The Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) has consistently supported the rights of the Fayli Kurds.

Maher al-Feyli, coordinator of the Feyli Political Council, said in a previous statement to PUKMEDIA that the PUK backs the legitimate cause of the Feyli Kurds and has included many Fayli leaders within its ranks.

He added that the late President Jalal Talabani played a key role in defending their rights, including issuing Presidential Decree No. 6 of 2012, which recognised the Feyli Kurdish case as genocide.

The PUK has continued to support the Fayli Kurds since the fall of the Ba’ath regime.



PUKMEDIA