Hasiba Saeed Gardi, a member of the fifth term of the Kurdistan Parliament, has called on members of the United States Senate to take urgent action in support of the Kurdish people by co-sponsoring the proposed “Save the Kurds Act.”
In a letter dated January 28, 2026, Gardi recounted her family’s history of displacement, sacrifice, and survival, highlighting the role of Kurds as long-standing allies of the United States—from the Peshmerga struggle under Mustafa Barzani to the fight against ISIS and ongoing resistance in Rojava.
She warned that Kurds in the Kurdistan Region and Rojava now face what she described as a “modern siege” through financial and political pressure, and urged U.S. lawmakers to defend the historic alliance. Gardi specifically called on senators to stand with Lindsey Graham in advancing legislation aimed at protecting Kurdish rights and stability in the region.
To the Honourable Members of the United States Senate and Distinguished Voices of Influence,
As a Member of the Fifth Term of the Kurdistan Parliament and a direct witness to the profound suffering of my people, I write to you bearing the weight of our shared history.
My life was forged in displacement. In 1974, hundreds of thousands of Kurdish families were violently uprooted by the Ba’athist regime and scattered into a painful diaspora. I was born into this exile in Iran in 1983, my first breaths drawn in the stark reality of statelessness.
This appeal goes beyond my personal story; it echoes the collective narrative inscribed in the lives of every Kurdish family.
My father was a man of honour who took up arms in 1961, joining the Peshmerga under General Mustafa Barzani to fight for freedom under the slogan, “Kurdistan or Death.” His life was spent in the trenches. Between 1963 and 1988, he was gravely wounded five times. His final injury came from chemical weapons during the Battle of Khwakurk—a pivotal fight for Kurdish survival—leaving him partially blind. I grew up without his daily presence, for his entire being was pledged to liberation; to him, the nation transcended all personal bonds.
Within this vast national tragedy, while I hold every martyr's family and every victim of the Anfal genocide as my own kin, thirty-eight members of my immediate family were brutally massacred. I am the heir to a lineage of thousands who gave everything for freedom. The Kurdistan of today was not a gift; it is the testament of blood, resilience, and an unbreakable popular will.
From the 1991 uprising and the fall of tyranny in 2003, to the frontline war against ISIS in 2014—where terrorists beheaded our sons and sheared our daughters to assault our dignity—and to the ongoing resistance in Rojava, the Kurdish people have consistently stood as a bulwark for regional stability and a proven ally to free nations.
Now, my people—in both the Kurdistan Region and Rojava—face a modern siege: financial strangulation and political pressure crafted to fracture our spirit and unravel the peace secured through immense sacrifice.
History records in silence. We must choose to be recorded on its right side.
Therefore, I urgently call upon you to translate this historic alliance into immediate action. I urge you to co-sponsor and vigorously champion the “Save the Kurds Act,” and to stand firmly with principled leaders like Senator Lindsey Graham in this critical effort.
Our partnership was forged in shared sacrifice against common enemies. It is a strategic and moral bond that demands—and deserves—your defence.
Sincerely,
Hasiba Saeed Gardi
Member of the Fifth Term of the Kurdistan Parliament
January 28, 2026
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