The Halabja-Anfal Case goes to court

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The Halabja-Anfal Case goes to court  

(Maryland. April 10, 2009). A lawsuit was filed Tuesday, April 7, 2009, against the central government of Iraq and the companies that supplied chemical weapons to the government of Saddam Hussein--weapons that were used against the Kurdish people in the Anfal operations, most particularly, the victims of the city of Halabja.  The lawsuit was filed in a US federal court in Maryland on behalf of some of the Kurdish victims of the Anfal campaign in Halabja and Anfal operations by Ken McCallion, the principal of a New York law firm that also has represented victims who were exposed to chemical weapons that were being destroyed during the 1991 Persian Gulf War.

"After years of hard work we were able to take the grievance of the victims of Halabja and infamous Anfal operations to an international Court," said Kirmanj Gundi, representative for the Kurdish National Congress of North America, the organization which brought the case to the attention of the law firm of Ken McCallion.
 
According to the KNC spokesman, "This lawsuit was not conducted out of a spirit of revenge or animosity. We are simply trying to make sure that justice is served for the victims of the infamous Anfal operations perpetrated by the central government of Iraq against Kurdistan and the city Halabja in particular and that these families receive some restitution for the suffering they have endured."

The KNC stated that its members saw this lawsuit as necessary because the new Iraqi government has not taken any step to address the wrongs of the previous regime and help the victims of systematic campaign of Anfal both in the destruction of the victims' health, the death of loved ones, and the loss of their ability to earn a living.

Although, the Iraqi government is changed and Saddam's tyrannical regime is no longer there, the new Iraqi government has not shown any political will to address the historic atrocity toward the citizens of Kurdistan-Iraq and has not attempted to provide aid or restitution for the ongoing struggles of its survivors and family members of its victims.

"One of the goals of the litigation is to establish a fund to cover the cost of medical monitoring and compensation for the victims," said Gundi.

"The KNC also wishes to acknowledge that this lawsuit would not have been possible without the sincere support of our fellow Kurds and friends of our people. Therefore, the Kurdish National Congress of North America would like to thank all those who helped in this endeavor," said Gundi.