By Fuad Othman | Journalist and Genocide Activist
Thirty-nine years ago, specifically on April 16, 1987—one year and one month before the chemical bombardment of Halabja—the Ba’athist regime used chemical weapons for the first time against our people in the Balisan Valley, Sheikh Wasan, and the Khoshnawati Plain, located approximately 100 kilometers from the center of Erbil Governorate. Today, we commemorate another crime committed by the defunct regime against our Kurdish people.
On this day in 1987, the bloody and barbaric Ba’athist regime bombed the villages of Balisan and Sheikh Wasan in the Khoshnawati Plain with internationally prohibited chemical weapons. The bombardment led to the martyrdom of nearly 280 people; the youngest was only one day old—subsequently named “Kimia” (Chemistry)—while the oldest was a 95-year-old man. A large number of citizens were wounded, and the regime denied them even the right to receive treatment in hospitals, forcing them to endure the most severe pain and suffering before burying many of them alive in mass graves.
Among the heartbreaking stories that chill the soul is that of an infant girl found nursing from her mother, who had died in the bombing. The child remained on her mother’s chest for several hours before locals arrived to rescue her, thereby saving her from certain death.
After the fall of the buried regime, the remains of the chemical bombing victims from Balisan, Sheikh Wasan, and the Khoshnawati Plain were discovered in a mass grave near Erbil at the “Asphalt Factory” site. They were later returned to the embrace of their ancestral land in Balisan.
Following the establishment of the Supreme Iraqi Criminal Tribunal, the file of the Balisan and Sheikh Wasan bombings was one of the cases investigated by the court. This crime was officially recognized as an act of genocide within the framework of the infamous Anfal campaigns.
Furthermore, the Kurdistan Parliament designated April 16 as Environment Day to honor and glorify the victims of this region. Every year, extensive tree-planting campaigns are held on this painful occasion. In remembrance, we bow in reverence to the blood of the martyrs; let us plant hope in place of every drop of blood shed in this crime, ensuring a dignified life for the children of the martyrs and for future generations.
From this platform, I see—as an urgent demand of the families of the martyrs and victims—the necessity of intensifying efforts to uncover the fate of those still missing, returning their pure remains to their ancestral lands, and providing medical care for the wounded who continue to suffer from the long-term effects of their injuries.
I also believe it is essential to redouble efforts to provide necessary services to this region, improve the living conditions of its people, and pay greater attention to the environment. We must work to address environmental issues scientifically through cultivation, afforestation, and increasing green spaces to improve the living environment for the citizens of the region and the Kurdistan Region in general.
The federal government and relevant authorities must compensate the victims of the chemical bombardment in this region, based on the ruling of the Supreme Iraqi Criminal Tribunal and the provisions of Article 132 of the permanent Iraqi Constitution. This is vital to provide a dignified life for the victims’ families and to ensure that the wounded receive the necessary medical treatment and medication.
Salute and glory to the victims of this crime.Our wishes for peace and harmony for all.
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