Kurdish Genocide Day surrounded with controversy

[Anthea]

Kirkuk Now

Two ministries of the Kurdistan Regional Government had assigned March 3 as the “Kurdish Genocide Day” while activists are criticizing the act, saying “Nothing happened on that date.”

The director of the Kirkuk branch of the Martyrs and Anfal Victims Association Fazil Amin told Kirkuk Now, “The ministry of Martyrs and Anfal Victims as well as the Ministry of Education decided to assign March 3 as the Kurdish Genocide Day in all of the provinces of Kurdistan including Kirkuk.”

The day was remembered and several events took place in the schools of Kurdistan including Kirkuk.

The director of the Kurdish education system of Kirkuk, Sherzad Rashid said “It is not the case that something has to happen on a particular day so as to assign that day later as a remembrance day of that event.”

The director pointed out the celebration of Kurdish Traditional Day when students, employees and officers wear Kurdish traditional clothes, and this year was to be recognized on March 8 but has now been changed to March 10.

Latif Fatih, an activist and expert in Anfal affairs told Kirkuk Now, “I don’t know the reason why March 3 is assigned for that cause; if it is assigned as the first day of the beginning of Anfal and Kurdish genocide, Anfal was started on February 19.

“That day is not appropriate to be assigned as the Kurdish Genocide Day, and as far as I’m concerned there were not any specific events occurring on that day but I’m not sure if it is the minister’s birthday.”

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