On the occasion of the 38th anniversary of the chemical attacks on the cities of Halabja and Sardasht, the National Center of East Kurdistan (Rojhelat) issued an official statement. The Center calls upon the international community and the Iraqi government to fulfill their legal responsibilities regarding this genocide.

A Systematic Effort to Exterminate Kurds

The statement asserts that the chemical bombardment of Halabja on March 16, 1988, and Sardasht in 1987, were not merely military operations. Rather, they were "a systematic effort for genocide and the erasure of the national identity of the Kurdish people on their own land." The National Center noted that these crimes were part of the series of Anfal campaigns that claimed the lives of thousands of innocent people.

Key Demands to the World and Iraq

In its message, the National Center of East Kurdistan addressed three primary demands to international decision-making bodies:

• Recognition of Genocide: A call for the United Nations to officially recognize the Halabja and Sardasht tragedies as genocide to prevent the recurrence of similar crimes.
• Compensation for Victims: An emphasis that the Iraqi government, as the legal successor, is responsible for the material and moral compensation of the victims' families and the reconstruction of the affected areas.
• Attention to Sardasht: A demand for humanitarian organizations to assist the survivors of the chemical attack in Sardasht—the first city in the world to be victimized by chemical weapons—and provide them with necessary medical treatment.

Shared Pain and National Unity

The statement concluded by reaffirming that these tragedies have not weakened the morale of the Kurdish people but have instead become a catalyst for national unity across all parts of Kurdistan. The Center stated: "Our belief in the right to self-determination and the building of a free future grows stronger, and our people's legitimate struggle for justice will continue."

Official Statement of the National Center of East Kurdistan

On the 38th Anniversary of the Halabja Massacre and the Sardasht Chemical Bombing

To the People of Kurdistan, Global Public Opinion, and International Institutions:

Thirty-eight years have passed since one of the darkest and most tragic crimes of the 20th century: the chemical bombardment of the cities of Halabja and Sardasht. These two disasters were not just military attacks; they were a systematic attempt at genocide and the erasure of the national identity of the Kurdish people on their ancestral land.

On March 16, 1988, the former Iraqi regime, by direct order, used chemical weapons and toxic gases against the civilian citizens of Halabja, leading to the martyrdom of more than 5,000 innocent people. This crime was carried out within the framework of the "Anfal Campaigns," which, according to all international standards and the 1948 United Nations Convention, is classified as "Genocide" and a "Crime Against Humanity." Previously, in 1987, the city of Sardasht became the first victim of chemical weapons in the region; to this day, thousands of its citizens suffer from the long-term effects of those toxic gases.

On this somber anniversary, the National Center of East Kurdistan emphasizes the following points:

1. International Recognition: We call upon the United Nations and influential nations to officially recognize the crimes of Halabja and Sardasht as genocide to prevent such violence against the Kurdish people from ever happening again.
2. Responsibility of the Iraqi State: The current Government of Iraq, as the legal successor of the state, is responsible for the material and moral compensation of the victims and their families, as well as the fundamental reconstruction of the affected regions.
3. Justice for Sardasht: Humanitarian institutions must pay serious attention to the health conditions of chemical weapon survivors in Sardasht. The case should be handled legally as the "first chemically victimized city in the world."

The shared pain between Halabja and Sardasht proves the unified destiny of the Kurdish people in all parts of Kurdistan. The National Center believes these commemorations must serve as a foundation for national unity in the face of occupation and oppression. The iron will of our people will not be weakened by these crimes; rather, it strengthens our belief in the right to self-determination and the building of a free future.

Salute to the pure souls of the martyrs of Halabja and Sardasht.

Victory to the legitimate struggle of the Kurdish people for freedom and justice.

National Center of East Kurdistan

March 16, 2026