Baghdad vigil demands justice for disappeared Feyli Kurds

BAGHDAD, Iraq — The Nabd al-Watan Research, Culture and Media Foundation hosted a memorial in Baghdad on Sunday evening to honor the disappeared Feyli Kurds, drawing government officials and representatives of the Feyli community. Attendees called for clarity on the fate of the missing and for the restoration of their families' rights. Tariq al-Mendilawi, director general of the Legal Department at the Martyrs' Authority, said the ousted Baath regime forcibly disappeared more than 20,000 Feyli citizens and buried them in mass graves. He noted that Aug. 30 is observed as the day of remembrance for missing Feyli youth and drew attention to families still searching for their relatives' remains. Former lawmaker Hussein Merdan said parliament has failed to enact minority protection legislation since 2003 and urged lawmakers to pass such a law. He also called on the prime minister to ease Feyli community members' access to Iraqi citizenship. Mustafa Aati, former head of the Military Industrialization Authority, said relevant institutions must adopt a firm stance to secure the return of exiled Feyli Kurds and the restoration of their rights. Mohammed al-Kazim, director of the Medar al-Hadarat Culture and Literature Center, said the mass graves targeting Feyli Kurds have left a lasting mark on collective memory.