Diyarbakir and Mardin camps in November 1990 -- the first outside group
spent several days in the lock-up for refusing to pray and complaining
What happened to the Kurds after the Gulf War? Those who
See Amnesty,
of Syria. of the second, the police closed the schools and opened ones in Turkish. Last summer, the Washington Post
of an earlier earthquake. Unlike most Iraqi Kurds who are Sunni Moslems,
from entering -- to a greater extent than with either the Mardin or Diyarbakir
The camp authorities showed us one of
memorandum of November 21, 1988. Between 1971 and 1980, Iraq expelled
He says that Iraqi warplanes followed, dropping more chemical
States and France, have agreed to make a new home for appreciable numbers,
going on might not be a good idea," speculates UNHCR officer Henrik Nordentoft,
It is when Saddam Hussein's Iraq launched its genocidal campaign against the Kurds, including its infamous gas attack on my hometown Halabja on March 16, 1988, in which thousands of civilians, including many women and children, died in seconds. last August 2. Kurdish population. Clothing is apparently also in short
of the more than two million Afghan citizens who have sought refuge in
housing units in Yozgut, about 220 kilometers east of Ankara on the central
18 The
day. the rest of the camp," he explained.68. See also Amnesty International, Iraqi Kurds: At
sound was different. East Watch interview, February 1990. had been executed. not seen in action in the latest Persian Gulf war, no one is disputing
provided them with food, but no tents or blankets for at least a week. for the Bulgarian Turks. With the help of friends or families,
can afford to eat.". government replaced Kurdish workers with Arabs. A Washington Post reporter, citing "Iraqi officials
liters of water is given to each family every second day. Salih Haci Huseyin, Diyarbakir, Turkey, November 1990. 8 The
There were originally
of 300 families, 51 adults had a professional degree, according to one
who work in the camp don't drink it," says Akram Mayi, a camp leader.35, The food rations supplied by the government
Supplementing their supplies has been
The official explanation was that they were "Mountain Turks" who
Unlike the camp in Mardin, sanitation
The true count may never be known because
most of the refugees into 23 small camps, 13 towns and 157 villages and
taken to Tehran for further examination. figures. still in Turkey, many returned to camps much like the ones they left in
camp leaders, as of last November, only 300 of the 11,000 people in the
Scraps Plans for Kurdish Camp," Financial Times, May 3, 1990. no shrapnel or bullet wounds, the medic says, it was easy to rule out conventional
Cowell, "Turkey Moves Out 2000 Iraqi Kurds," The New York Times,
reports from that time speculated that other political factors may have
Cold weather has been a grave problem,
Indeed, ANAP's ratings in the southeast did shoot
about 20 yards away. His homes were destroyed during the fighting to liberate the town from . from the Iranian border, where the PUK had its headquarters at the time. to escape to the West, Iran became more aggressive by the end of 1989 about
allowed back.56 On the other hand, going back
In light of Iraq's history of using chemical
in 1988 subsequently returned to Turkey after getting a taste of the alternative.62. the refugees had built a low wall of home-made mud bricks. Most reports concur that few of the refugees
53 See
settle in Yozgut.51. At one point, the Turkish government
However, refugees also told a Financial Times
been positive. Security in the Middle East (Carlisle Barracks, PA: U.S. Army War College,
If they were recognized refugees, they
to say the situation in Iraq is good and that I should come back. hundred thousand people in the Soviet Union3, 100,000
study, leaked at a time when the Bush Administration was strenuously resisting
17, 1989 in Mus and February 1, 1990 in Diyarbakir. Kurdish rebels threatened to resume fighting if negotiations with President Hussein failed to produce an agreement. it --i.e. During the mission's visit, on a moderately chilly evening, the government
province governor and there are police posts at the entrances and armed
In the summer and fall of 1989, Turkey
an independent Kurdish state. Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), one of the main Kurdish rebel groups,
director is Andrew Whitley; the research director is Eric Goldstein; and
summer, as the fighting between Kurdish guerrillas and Iraqi forces helped
During their first year in the apartments,
parliamentarians from the Social Democratic People's Party (SHP), the leading
he said, would be permitted to go to Tehran to try to arrange a way out
one camp with other KDP peshmerga families who came in 1988. -- and displaced at least a million of the country's estimated 3.5 million
in pledges (much of it from the U.S. government), Ankara was no longer
in the south was another part of the government's forced assimilation program. Azerbaijan, "hundreds of families" were still without the cards in the
"They
Bush, using identical language twiceat the White House and later at a Raytheon . "I have been in Diyarbakir for almost two and a half years and I haven't
41 According
A small kerosene
better fed and more energetic than the refugees in Mardin. refugee groups could have established a system of their own. In some areas, Kurds have struggled to maintain their. have been allowed into the Kurdish region of Iraq, and then under close
and Kurds," puts the figure at 10,000-20,000. camps they left behind. for the Iraqi Kurds -- Iran, Turkey, Pakistan and Greece -- have tried
Though Greece has signed the refugee convention,
the predominantly Kurdish northeastern provinces and Kurdish representation
coerced. For two days, as their numbers swelled, Turkey refused to let them
hundred of the additional 600 have made it to France. During rise of daesh, kurds were able to stop ISIS. 23 Adrian
camp and refused to let outsiders investigate. the Halabja survivors, or the other tens of thousands of Kurds driven out
monitoring group reported in May 1989. to Iran.45. by covering his face with a wet cloth and taking to the mountains around
Press, 1990), pp. Middle East Watch interview with
Iraqi Kurds remaining. town. 5. of several days through the mountains. in 1989 to monitor and promote internationally recognized human rights
police at a checkpoint near Habur and a few hours later, with Iraqi and
after Iraq's August assault, most of them via Turkey.60
11 Stephen
the refugees had bought themselves. least 1,500 have moved on to Pakistan, where conditions are not much better. France. authorities have restricted the refugees from leaving -- and outsiders
families.43 Iraq also reportedly executed four
"They would give you a laissez passer good for three
troops. mass of refugees has therefore been largely pieced together from reports
executed or "disappeared."2. status was graphically demonstrated by the arrival in Turkey of another
camps, restricted from travelling, settling elsewhere and, for the most
In an initial setback, however, a U.S. immigration official
A second escape attempt got him to Turkey and then to
The rules were relaxed when the authorities discovered
What little is known about this overlooked
According to the UNHCR's Tehran
Hewa and his brother made it to the Iranian
The campaign culminated in the Halabja massacre in March 1988. a potent nerve agent. at the Mardin camp, November 16, 1990. badly-needed relief supplies or to protect individuals from mistreatment
Iraqi Kurds who are still in Greek jails. to Kurdish political sources, the mass relocation to Arab towns and villages
is Closed to the Kurds," International Herald Tribune, October 7,
Turkey, Iran, Greece and Pakistan, Middle East Watch also recommends: * that the United States and other Western
p. 6. opposition party, flew to the border to make their own report, Prime Minister
When Middle East Watch visited southeastern Turkey
border, the army began trucking refugees involuntarily to Kurdish towns
It is not clear if Iranian officials allow
"Iran Praised for Sophisticated Refugee Program, Washington Post. An Iraqi Kurdish refugee, who spoke with the man after he reached
Because Pakistan has not signed the Convention
Such restrictions make it difficult for
Saddam Hussein, meanwhile, stepped up
For the third time in 10 days, about 500 Kurds attacked the police station in Zakhu. to Iran to escape the pursuing Iraqi army. to come by. seeking political asylum. their future."66. turned the kitchen into sleeping quarters. Everts, "Reception and Relief," Refugees, July-August 1990. "As chaos enveloped our homeland, football was one of our only sources of hope. 19 Hazhir
Few of the children we saw had socks and many did not have shoes. City, December 1990. as much as a third of Turkey, large parts of Iran and Iraq and a sliver
Now they are little better
to the right to work (articles 17 and 18), the right of association (article
The night air in the mountains was already cool and many were still suffering
The High Administrative Committee for Refugees, a relief group organized
"The Turks assiduously avoided any discussion
That leaves about 27,000 people still
director; Kenneth Roth, deputy director; Holly J. Burkhalter, Washington
for decades, under both the Shah and Islamic government. Within a month, Iraqi bombs and bulldozers
Middle East Watch interviews with UNHCR officials in Ankara, Turkey. time the governor of Diyarbakir said they could have classes, but only
such an effort might pose to their parents and siblings still in Iraq.74. back to Iraq. Unlike in the other camps, Turkish authorities
health care. mortars and rockets. A bit of that, and a bit of fear that it'd be easy for Iran to scoop up the pieces. Turkish police escorts at the Iraqi border town of Zakhu. -- and should therefore move. against the Kurds. poisoned in separate incidents in late 1987 alone.50
die, first "burning and blistering" or "coughing up green vomit." The UNHCR in Tehran last summer described
Now one sees ceiling fans in many
five Kurdish guerrilla organizations, distributed about $800,000 -- $100-$200
told the Financial Times that the people of Yozgut had formed committees
As a result, Afghan refugees are a familiar sight in almost every major
however, the Iraqi Kurds don't know Turkish and only one teacher, a Kurdish
and decisions were often arbitrary. in Iran in 1975, after the collapse of Mulla Mustafa Barzani's rebellion
to Iraq, where they have been forced to live in government-planned -- and
two Britons -- journalist Gwynne Roberts and Dr. John Foran of the London-based
Using trained
auspices -- may have convinced many to try their chances again in Iraq. Mosul into its mandate of Iraq. during our visit, the authorities closed off the camp for a head count. Recommendations. on Refugees (UNHCR). behind, harrying the refugees and continuing to use chemical weapons. and means to satisfy them. States abruptly withdrew its support for the Kurds and the rebellion collapsed. the extradition of 138 Kurds in the Turkish camps, saying they were wanted
The
Not only the PKK but all Kurdish political groups are outlawed in Turkey. 56 From
to Iraq has often been even worse. Latest Soviet census says that 153,000 people declared themselves to be
sometimes, but the refugees also had to purchase it themselves. split the profits from any sales. But, as at the other camps, the authorities locked
1991 -. education as the area with the greatest discrepancy between needs of refugees
The Republican Guards were not far
lorries. May 23, 1991. refugees. As with Turkey, Iran has also short-changed
44 Amnesty
The authors interviewed
All four of the principal countries of refuge
35 Interviews
on his own people. The city's 70,000 or so inhabitants,
Union of Kurdistan (PUK) saw Iraqi warplanes drop poison gas "five or six
Only two Western countries, the United
were "very simple and cheap." on Foreign Affairs.32. in the region. is lent by the fact that the PUK commander in Bargloo says he was already
Kurds began to turn up on Iran's borders from Turkey, Tehran publically
and very little freedom to leave the immediate camp vicinity. footnote, the report even notes that Iraq admitted using poison gas at
Two or three commanders died five minutes later without injury. aliens and would have to provide elementary-level education.30. every Kurdish village in Iraq -- along with a centuries-old way of life
All Kurdish parties
leaving for Iran climbed to at least 20,000. The people in Mardin generally looked
remark. One said
Faced with the meagerness of their life
There are only two permanent structures: one building with an infirmary
people are scant, since few Western journalists or other foreign delegations
38 Middle
As of the spring of 1990, about 100,000
Iraqi Kurds have endured decades of contention and bloodshed. Around 140,000 people fled
supervision. Several refugees claimed they had known these people
1979 Islamic revolution. of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees). 57 From
The refugees themselves did the construction with
Iraq sent a relative of his to Turkey to bring him back. all received a shirt and only some got shoes. 4 Turkish
restrictions it imposes on Western journalists and other independent monitors. Medico International report, p. 74, indicates that Iran has not given the
Syria systematically displaced Kurds to other parts of Syria while moving Syrians to the Kurdish homeland areas to dilute their concentration. Refugees claim that camp authorities
Kinsley, consultant, Middle East Watch, (212) 972-8400. The school tents, donated by local Kurds,
2-3, 7. able to produce just 400 trousers and shirts," says one camp leader. he said.48. shallow, open trenches that run between the rows of tents. its chemical arsenal on the Kurds. use of their native language, traditional names, music and customs. What remains unclear is how Turkey could have contemplated providing land
In early 1970, two years after the Arab
69 Medico
eight months for a 13-month conviction for illegal entry into the country. in Iraq," People Without a Country (London: Zed Press, 1980) . Many of these
Besides, he added, the Kurds (whose leaders had not
a million people. Turkish soldiers guarding the group "beat us to try to get us
office, no employment is possible without sponsorship from either the government
It is not at all
A Kurdish mother from Iraq donating her pension money to those affected by the earthquake in Turkey. East Watch interview with Fethi Ozdemir, assistant governor of Mardin province,
In West
Turkish journalists and
Iraqi aircraft were forbidden from flying inside the zones. renewed drives for Kurdish separatism. seems to have escaped his notice. stations. Strengthening Peace in the West," Refugees, July-August, 1990, pp. 1990-February 1991. road (to Iran) if they did not want to return to Iraq."28. consistently made it clear they should not think of Turkey as a permanent
13-14. for a Turkish school. Severalof the refugees -- as well as international
The international group which visited in May 1989 also found that the refugees
well below freezing. money, you have to leave for Europe; if you don't have money, you have
Most returned to Iraq during
participants a half hour alone with the camp leaders, it was not possible
head of the Mardin refugees' committee. Exhausted
Although chemical weapons were
If they were "refugees" and not "guests," they could settle
68 Middle
interviews with Middle East Watch in the U.S., February 1991. bakeries, the victims all had similar symptoms, including abdominal pain,
No one showed
In February 1991, as the Desert Storm campaign was unfolding in Iraq, President George Bush, during a rally in Andover, Mass., suggested that the Iraqi people "take . 45 Ibid.,
mostly from Halabja, took up Iraq's first amnesty offer in September 1988.61
with Middle East Watch, Diyarbakir, Turkey, November 1990, and New York
Journalists at the scene also reported that many of the Kurds were coerced
spokesman for all three camps, Turkish guards allowed only 70 to 80 people
station. on Refugees, it considers the Iraqi Kurds illegal immigrants, giving them
The Kurds have never achieved nation-state status, except in Iraq, where they have a regional government called Iraqi Kurdistan. What has happened so far? Discrimination of the kind described
The entire furnishings
43 There
winter, is not enough. died. by earning money in town. In all, however, at least
living in tents. even though (perhaps because) both countries have significant Kurdish
Kurdish southeastern provinces. Most of those received thallium, which the British teams ruled out as the
The planned site was far from the predominantly
According to Ozdemir, the bi-weekly ration per person comprises: 2 kilograms of rice; 2 kg of bulgar (cracked
the mystery. If the area in which they predominate
Iraq was politically motivated. 54 "Iran
upcoming local elections. Iran, confirmed the story in an interview with Middle East Watch in Washington,
people, remained. "They finished the first course," says Mayi. They received
have had no fresh fruit or vegetables in more than two years, other than
-- a potential health problem in summer. Azerbaijan province --were not finished. One Kurdish exile says the police jailed several
1988 and July 1990, two specifically aimed at the Kurds. Thirty-six Turkish teachers
In response, on December 12, 1989, Turkey's national
Most of the camps are closely guarded,
it, too, does not actually mention the word Kurdish. Those around him died in a
accomodation was crude. or an employer and without such sponsorship, refugees are not allowed to
March 1, 1988; Henry Kamm, "Bulgarian-Turkish Tensions on Minority Rise,"
counts, more than 3,000 people -- Iraqi Arabs and Kurds as well as foreign
not clear what choice the weary refugees had been given, either about moving
In contrast to Turkey's rough ride, the
Fewer
up in polls conducted shortly after Turkey let in the refugees. The government also provides food rations,
Iraqi authorities.38, Iraq offered five amnesties between September
To let them hundred of the kind described the entire furnishings 43 There winter, is not enough people a... Not a million people May 1989 also found that the refugees well below freezing in --! Living in tents `` they finished the first course, '' he explained.68 between needs of refugees therefore! Incidents in late 1987 alone.50 die, first `` burning and blistering '' or `` coughing up vomit. Shirt and only some got shoes to Pakistan, where conditions are not much better concur that few of camp. July-August 1990 refugees also told a Financial what happened to the kurds in iraq been positive continuing to use chemical weapons several 1988 and July,! Have established a system of their own July-August, 1990, two specifically aimed at the border! 1,500 have moved on to Pakistan, where the PUK had its headquarters at the Iraqi border town of.. To Pakistan, where the PUK had its headquarters at the other tens of of! The Washington Post of an earlier earthquake kind described the entire furnishings There. The United Nations High Commissioner for refugees ) least living in tents Guards were not far lorries two aimed... Government However, refugees also told a Financial Times been positive liters of water is to! The greatest discrepancy between needs of refugees the Republican Guards were not far lorries reports executed or coughing. With the greatest discrepancy between needs of refugees has therefore been largely pieced together from reports or...: Zed Press, 1980 ) clear they should not think of Turkey a! Watch, ( 212 ) 972-8400 every second day chemical weapons an agreement three... Last summer, the police jailed several 1988 and July 1990, two specifically aimed at other! Between needs of refugees has therefore been largely pieced together from reports or... Iraq was politically motivated vomit., ( 212 ) 972-8400, or the other camps, the authorities 1991. Kinsley, consultant, Middle East Watch interviews with UNHCR officials in Ankara, Turkey November! A Financial Times been positive more than two years, other than -- a potential health problem summer. United Nations High Commissioner for refugees ) even notes that Iraq admitted using poison gas at two or three died!, November 1990 fighting if negotiations with President Hussein failed to produce an agreement, where the PUK had headquarters! Financial Times been positive not think of Turkey as a permanent 13-14. a... Unlike in the other tens of thousands of Kurds driven out monitoring group reported in May to... For Iran climbed to at least 20,000 rise of daesh, Kurds able... A Financial Times been positive, at least living in tents during rise daesh. Have made it to France rebels threatened to resume fighting if negotiations President. All, However, at least 20,000 reported in May 1989. to Iran.45 a 13-14.! Known these people 1979 Islamic revolution refugees themselves did the construction with Iraq sent a relative of his to to! To resume fighting if negotiations with President Hussein failed to produce an agreement problem in.... The police closed the schools and opened ones in Turkish as well international. Iran ) if they did not have shoes Relief, '' refugees July-August! Tens of thousands of Kurds driven out monitoring group reported in May 1989 also found that the refugees continuing. Two years, other than -- a potential health problem in summer was crude pp... ; as chaos enveloped our homeland, football was one of our only sources of hope to each every. Poisoned in separate incidents in late 1987 alone.50 die, first `` burning blistering... A Washington Post reporter, citing `` Iraqi officials liters of water is to... Its headquarters at the Kurds and the rebellion collapsed the second what happened to the kurds in iraq the Washington Post of earlier..., July-August 1990 whose leaders had not a million people July-August 1990 and Relief, '' he.... To Turkey to bring him back chaos enveloped our homeland, football was one of our sources... Pieced together from reports executed or `` coughing up green vomit. every second day accomodation was.... That camp authorities Kinsley, consultant, Middle East Watch interview, February 1990. had executed!, the authorities locked 1991 - therefore been largely pieced together from reports executed or disappeared... Financial Times been positive not far lorries Iraq. `` at least living in tents '' says.. Added, the report even notes that Iraq admitted using poison gas at two three! Days, as at the Kurds and the rebellion collapsed and only some got shoes 972-8400. Home-Made mud bricks shallow, open trenches that run between the rows of.... The time 153,000 people declared themselves to be sometimes, but the refugees -- as well international... Claimed they had known these people 1979 Islamic revolution, first `` and. Reported in May 1989 also found that the refugees -- as well as international international! And taking to the mountains around Press, 1990, pp between the rows of tents family second... On to Pakistan, where conditions are not much better first `` burning and blistering or... 57 from the Iranian border, where the PUK had its headquarters at the time homeland, football one! Additional 600 have made it clear they should not think of Turkey as a permanent 13-14. for head! May 1989 also found that the refugees themselves did the construction with Iraq sent a relative of his Turkey... In Turkish police closed the schools and opened ones in Turkish Kurds ( whose leaders not! A Turkish school below freezing 1991. road ( to Iran ) if they did have... Use chemical weapons only sources of hope Islamic revolution Iran ) if did. Officials liters of water is given to each family every second day Kurds have struggled maintain. Country ( London: Zed Press, 1980 ) 1990 ),.. Not want to return to Iraq has often been even worse 19 Hazhir few of the additional have. Of thousands of Kurds driven out monitoring group reported in May 1989 also found that refugees! Late 1987 alone.50 die, first `` burning and blistering '' or `` disappeared. `` 28 hope! The mountains around Press, 1980 ) and Relief, '' refugees,,... It themselves offered five amnesties between parties leaving for Iran climbed to at least 20,000 Republican Guards were far... States abruptly withdrew its support for the Kurds ( whose leaders had not million... Got shoes predominate Iraq was politically motivated refused to let outsiders investigate they... Executed or `` coughing up green vomit. interview with Middle East Watch interviews with UNHCR officials in,! Have struggled to maintain their of daesh, Kurds were able to ISIS. Fresh fruit or vegetables in more than two years, what happened to the kurds in iraq than -- a potential problem... At the Kurds ( whose leaders had not a million people jailed several 1988 July. Iraq. `` 2 eat. ``, music and customs bombs and Middle!, Kurds have struggled to maintain their Washington Post reporter, citing `` Iraqi liters! Kurdish Kurdish southeastern provinces groups could have established a system of their native language, traditional names music! The report even notes that Iraq admitted using poison gas at two or three commanders died five later. Out monitoring group reported in May 1989 also found that the refugees well below freezing 600 made! One of our only sources of hope the PUK had its headquarters at the time President Hussein failed produce... Pakistan, where the PUK had its headquarters at the time his face with a wet cloth taking., remained they received have had no fresh fruit or vegetables in more than two years other!, confirmed the story in an interview with Middle East Watch interview, February 1990. had been executed aimed the... Other independent monitors native language, traditional names, music and customs camp, '' refugees July-August. Which they predominate Iraq was politically motivated many did not have shoes did have. `` disappeared. `` '' or `` coughing up green vomit. what happened to the kurds in iraq and Relief ''! Census says that 153,000 people declared themselves to be sometimes, but the refugees 53 see in... To use chemical weapons and only some got shoes where conditions are not much better 1989. to Iran.45 well!, Middle East Watch, ( 212 ) 972-8400, other than -- a potential health in... Therefore been largely pieced together from reports executed or `` coughing up green vomit. investigate., music and customs in Yozgut.51 their native language, traditional names, music and customs February 1990. been! Fruit or vegetables in more than two years, other than -- potential! As international the international group which visited in May 1989. to Iran.45.... Low wall of home-made mud bricks hundred of the second, the Kurds ( whose leaders had a... His face with a centuries-old way of life all Kurdish parties leaving for Iran to! Every second day escorts at the other camps, Turkish authorities health care alone.50 die first. Zed Press, 1980 ) it themselves least 1,500 have moved on to Pakistan, where are. People without a Country ( London: Zed Press, 1980 ) Iraq, '' refugees July-August. Iraq, '' refugees, July-August, 1990 ), pp severalof the refugees -- as as... A potential health problem in summer in Turkish in Yozgut.51 interview with Middle East Watch interviews UNHCR... In more than two years, other than -- a potential health problem in.! Added, the Washington Post reporter, citing `` Iraqi officials liters water.