The Kurdistan National Council (KNK) Executive Council condemned in a written statement the 36th anniversary of the genocide perpetrated by Saddam's fascist regime with a chemical weapons attack against the civilian population in Halabja in 1988.

The KNK statement on Saturday said the following:

"On 16 March 1988, thousands of Kurds were massacred, while thousands of others were injured and displaced in a genocidal attack with chemical weapons on the city of Halabja in Southern Kurdistan. The Halabja Massacre was not the first in the history of the Kurdish people and it seems that it will not be the last. Such massacres carry the aim and intention of the brutal occupying states to destroy the Kurdish people so that nothing remains in the name of Kurdishness, so that they do not have a status and identity.

The Halabja Massacre, one of the most painful and brutal massacres in human history, carried out with a racist mentality, showed the whole world how deep the enmity against the Kurdish people is. Thousands of Kurds, women, men, children and the elderly were brutally massacred with chemical weapons. This massacre was carried out in front of the eyes of the world and no state opposed it. The United Nations, the United States, Europe and other countries remained silent in the face of this massacre. They raised their voices against Saddam's fascist and dictatorial regime only when their own interests were threatened.

Today, the same scenario is being repeated by the occupying states. On these days, the anniversary of the Halabja Massacre, the occupying states, especially the Turkish state, the dictator and racist regime of the AKP-MHP, are preparing new plans for massacre and genocide against the Kurdish people and want these plans to be realised. The Iraqi central government, the regional government, are also intended to participate in these plans and the KDP forces are at the center of these plans. These plans are a great threat to the four parts of Kurdistan and to all the interests of the Kurdish people.

For this reason, we call on all forces, parties, political organisations, social institutions, all patriotic and conscientious groups to take a stand against the occupation plans and not to remain silent. Only in this way can we embrace the martyrs of Halabja, prevent massacres like Halabja and defend the interests of the people of Kurdistan.

We commemorate the martyrs of Halabja with all our patriotic feelings and promise that we will fight against the murderer and genocidal enemy by strengthening our duty for our national unity."