On the anniversary of the fall of the Barzanians, Ripper Ahmed confirms the continuing opening of the mass graves and recalls the blood of the martyrs
On the anniversary of the fall of the Barzanians, Ripper Ahmed confirms the continuing opening of the mass graves and recalls the blood of the martyrs
On the anniversary of the fall of the Barzanians, Ripper Ahmed confirms the continuing opening of the mass graves and recalls the blood of the martyrs
Erbil (Kurdistan24) - Interior Minister in the Government of the Kurdistan Region, Riber Ahmed, confirmed on Tuesday, 11 August 2026, that the crime of "infancy" failed to break the will of the Kurdish people or erase their identity, stressing that the entity of the region and its constitutional institutions were founded on the blood of martyrs, and no party will be allowed to conspire against it or compromise its stability.
This came during a speech by Ripper Ahmed at the 43rd anniversary commemoration ceremony of the genocide of the Barzanians, which was held under the slogan "Death for the Survival of the Homeland", a reminder of the martyrdom of 8,000 isolated Barzanians, which he described as "one of the worst and greatest genocide crimes in contemporary history".
"We stand today with honor and dignity before the souls of 8 thousand Barzani martyrs", the interior minister said, praising the heroic role of the mothers and sisters who courageously faced the tragedy after losing their fathers, husbands and brothers, and raising a steadfast generation fighting injustice and holding onto their land.
Ahmed renewed the regional government's commitment to coordinate with the federal government and international organizations to continue to open mass graves and return the remains of the victims to Kurdistan. He pointed to President Masoud Barzani's efforts that have resulted in the recovery of the remains of more than 700 martyrs so far, adding: "We have taught President Barzani not to make an end to hatred and revenge, but a symbol of brotherhood and tolerance, and to continue his work to internationalize the issue of the Anfal and gain international recognition as a genocide".
At the end of his speech, the Minister of the Interior sent a resolute letter to the new generation reminding them that freedom and security today are the fruit of the blood of the martyrs, directing a stark warning to those he described as "conspirators with the enemies to target the region": "Remind them that this entity and its institutions are fortified with the blood of the victims of the Infal, martyrs and heroes of the Pishmerga, and with the blood, we will defend the legitimacy of the region and the dignity of its land".