25th Anniversary of the Halabja Massacre: Recognition as a tool to prevent Genocide

On the 16th of March 1988, Saddam Hussein unleashed a large scale chemical weapons attack against the rebellious Kurdish town of Halabja. It is estimated that a combination of mustard gas and other nerve agent chemicals were responsible for the deaths of at least 5000

civilians. 

25 years later, the movement to recognize the exactions perpetrated against the Iraqi Kurds as genocide is finally gathering steam in the international arena. Several States have already embarked on the initiative, including Sweden, Canada, the United Kingdom, France and Norway. The genocide against the Iraqi Kurds is not only considered a crime committed against the rules of war, but also a crime against humanity. Consequently, the recognition of this event implicates the acknowledgement of the blatant persecution of the Kurds and the terror inflicted upon them, as well as the lack of action by the international community to protect them and further bring to justice its perpetrators. During its first commemoration of the Halabja Massacre in 2009, the United Nations urged for its recognition as genocide to deter future atrocities. Therefore, the importance of this recognition lies also on the prevention of future acts of genocide.