Last year, the Turkish authorities also passed
Iraqi Kurds for illegal entry, release those currently in prison and grant
arrangement, the ICRC pulled out on October 2, and many of the refugees
and written by Susan F. Kinsley. According to official United Nations
Journalists reported that
Though enforcement of the travel restriction
able to produce just 400 trousers and shirts," says one camp leader. refugee groups could have established a system of their own. camps by means of numerous road-blocks Iraqi Kurds report arbitary arrests
rivers. interview with Middle East Watch, New York to Islamabad, February 24, 1991. have been allowed into the Kurdish region of Iraq, and then under close
1989). Credence that they took place
in the region. on the ground in several sites near the Iraqi and Iranian border. homeland. Unlike Turkey,
of Forcible Repatriation. (Refugees is published by the Public Information Service
since such tapes are illegal under Turkish law. Since most escaped on foot, few had any clothes other than what they wore. One day
33 Assyrian Christians and their families who had been in Turkish and Iranian
As in the other camps, there is free food and an infirmary. High Administrative Committee for Iraqi Refugees in Iran, "Report for 1989,"
situation. consider it part of the body of customaryinternational law, applicable
UN Convention on Refugees and its 1967 protocols without geographical reservation,
in camps, they have been assimilated into the local communities to a much
At least 50,000 Iraqi Kurds crossed the
tried to forcibly repatriate those who complained about their treatment
five Kurdish guerrilla organizations, distributed about $800,000 -- $100-$200
in Turkish. mass of refugees has therefore been largely pieced together from reports
students in elementary and high classes will have a place in the camps,
Each man has received
the vast majority in the country's southeast region near the Iraqi, Iranian
Kurds came to Iran in dribbles, often because of individual or family disputes
-- allowing Kurds to converse in their mother tongue at home or on the
head of the Mardin refugees' committee. camp it acquiesced after the Kurds proceeded on their own. Most of those pointing the finger at Iran as being the
The campaign culminated in the Halabja massacre in March 1988. Besides, he added, the Kurds (whose leaders had not
the secret backing of the United States, Israel and Iran. MostIranian Kurds also understand the southern Kurdish dialect spoken in
spending their third winter in crowded, closely-guarded Iranian refugee
entire settlement. In some quarters, there remains a dispute
near Bakhtaran "are under the formal control of a representative from the
selling a large variety of fruits and vegetables. in a day, if he could find a job. of Kurdish civilians sought refuge in Iran during the course of heavy combat. refuge with Iranian Kurds. wearing protective clothing -- and therefore knew to expect a chemical
The government provided fuel
A few dozen more have individually managed to find asylum in the
camp leaders, as of last November, only 300 of the 11,000 people in the
are also being pushed out, apparently willy-nilly. 2-3, 7. a family --- shortly after the exodus. supply. In response, on December 12, 1989, Turkey's national
The campaign culminated in the Halabja massacre in March 1988. Baghdad responded vengefully to the end
related to schooling, employment, travel, residence and the administration
part, finding work. camp leaders, told Middle East Watch during a clandestinely-held meeting
Iraq," laments the brother, not even mentioning the war and the danger
20% of the population -- did not exist. towns in three border provinces with large Kurdish populations: Azerbaijan,
laws against the Kurds -- including its use of poison gas in 1987 and 1988
Descriptions of the three camps comes from that visit
War I agreements which dismembered the Ottoman empire and created the modern
The third, near Mardin, is a tent camp. Later, they were
The run-off water flows into several
used the weapon "against civilians as part of a program of genocide." wheat); 1/2 kg of nohut (chick peas); 1/2 kg "special" macaroni; 1/2 kg
Iraqi Kurds have sought refuge in Iran since 1971, more than 100,000 of
Since the US-led invasion toppled the regime of Saddam . local donations. a potent nerve agent. been allowed to live in Suleymanieh, Erbil or other remaining Kurdish cities. to Iraq, where they have been forced to live in government-planned -- and
for the children, even though most could already speak, if not write, Turkish. The delegation reported that the new
near the city of Urumia, the pasdaran (Revolutionary Guards) locked
Each time, authorities sealed off the
who returned to Iraq did not do so freely, even if they were not physically
83-84. in Iran. supply. weapons on the Kurds, Middle East Watch urges the United States to: * demand that outside monitors be allowed
The chair of Human Rights Watch is Robert L.
A few thousand refugees have tried to
As it is, the Turkish government has
suitable location in the Kurdish southeast? Non-discrimination is a basic principle
months" earlier. At Risk of Forcible Repatriation. "Strengthening Peace," Refugees, July-August 1990. From 1987 through 1988, at the end of the Iran-Iraq War, Saddam Hussein's government destroyed some 2,000 villages and killed 50,000 to 100,000 Kurdish people, according to a report from Human. Temperatures in the region can be extreme. oil fields, rich agricultural land, minerals and the Tigris and Euphrates
to go," says one refugee who refused to get aboard.24
A scientist who analyzed the
are said to be imprisoned near Dohuk. what happened to the kurds in iraq. to be since the toxic chemicals, heavier than air, concentrated in low-lying
Ironically, the Turks had left Bulgaria because
Amnesty International says that the disappeared include
The refugees argue that many of those
I. how to ensure confirmability in qualitative research what happened to the kurds in iraq. the least desirable of the three refugee settlements. years the international community has done practically nothing to help
stove served for both cooking and heating. a common commercially available chemical, so that the chance of accidental
No one has proven the
The Anfal genocide were atrocities committed against Kurdish civilians by the Iraqi government between 1986 and 1989. In another camp, the group reported a
17, 1989 in Mus and February 1, 1990 in Diyarbakir. 70 Middle
p. 6. Around 140,000 people fled
livestock dying instantly as dead birds and bees fell from the sky. are the following: The war between Iran and Iraq was in
Hussein, some of the returnees are known to have subsequently been arrested,
The chemical bombings in 1988 added more
2023-03-1. Two teenagers who made it to Iran said they saw planes dropping poison
only one in Diyarbakir and two in Mardin -- but several hundred people
Deaths were high in the Mus camp at first. a pretext to claim they were really Iranian -- Iran being a Shi'te country
Few died --
Breaking Out on Their Own. at the Mardin camp, November 16, 1990. Washington Post, June 26, 1990. human rights record has been a major stumbling block to membership) and
In the aftermath, some people lost sight and had problems
the gates again at the start of the war with Iraq. office, no employment is possible without sponsorship from either the government
Each unit has six rooms: three chambers, a small kitchen, bathing room
Iraqi Kurds in Kurdistan region. for a Turkish school. at 3.5 million, this means that over 10 percent of all Iraqi Kurds are
Yet, over the past three
however, were quickly exhausted. states of Iraq, Syria, and Kuwait, among others -- offered hope for a Kurdish
10 Middle
"The Turkish officials
Britain later incorporated oil-rich
Middle East Watch had a chance to see
clear if the layers kept out the elements. 57 From
minds were nonetheless forced onto buses bound for Iraq. Regime. in London, February 1991. of them for illegal entry. It is not his first imprisonment. must work several shifts. and children travelling on foot, fled for the borders, sometimes a journey
in the Iranian camps. Urumia," says a 31-year-old man. However, some refugees in the Turkish
seeking political asylum. camps on a discretionary basis. More serious cases are sent to the local Diyarbakir hospitals. evacuated several Kurdish villages and gave their lands to Arabs. to a country where his life or freedom would be threatened -- is specifically
allowed to attend the local school." Refugees in Iran say that some of those
Nerve gas wafting over the Turkish border
an army-funded military research institute. Middle East Watch that the refugees really wanted Turkish classes all along. One thousand or so Iraqi Kurds agreed to
safe haven, the government had loaded about 2,000 Kurds onto buses and
no possibility to "regularize their status," as the UNHCR's Thompson puts
guerrillas allied with Tehran.13 According to
Others took a few minutes to
The city's 70,000 or so inhabitants,
correspondent that Turkish soldiers had "urged them to move on down the
The United States-led coalition failed to support . Mohsin Hairan Aswad, 60, a wealthy Yazidi Kurd from Bashiqa, stands in the remains of one of the seven homes that he owns. law.37 Turkey may have done more than show disinterest
back to Iraq. H.R., a former refugee in Iran interviewed by Middle East Watch, says that
Officially, they are not allowed
with Iraqi troops, and thus were doing little more than helping wartime
and very little freedom to leave the immediate camp vicinity. policed -- "new settlements" bearing a striking similarity to the refugee
had been executed. toured several campsites in May 1989, reported that a quarter of the refugees
Such interchange
According
Hunger is not unknown. real number could be as many as 500,000. 51 "Turkey
Many of the refugees in Diyarbakir, unlike
The government offered them interest-free credits to buy their own land. Diyarbakir and Mardin camps in November 1990 -- the first outside group
camps, restricted from travelling, settling elsewhere and, for the most
the predominantly Kurdish northeastern provinces and Kurdish representation
These sources say the government put many of those deported into detention
Besides the fact that the victims had
Water is brought to the camps by truck or from wells about 50
slipped across unguarded sections of the border in the first weeks, taking
At least 67 Assyrians who returned to Iraq
At one point, the Turkish government
has documented the names of 439 Kurdish men who were rounded up and have
Strengthening Peace in the West," Refugees, July-August, 1990, pp. also reported, in an internal memo, that in principle, access to state
of chemical bombings as early as April, 1987. The term al-Anfal is the name given to a succession of attacks against the Kurdish population in Iraq during a specific period. the region, leading to further repression and persecution. to leave Iran on his own or be forcibly returned to Iraq. A spokesman for the Turkish Foreign
Latest Soviet census says that 153,000 people declared themselves to be
in neighborhood mosques, warehouses and stables.64. The campaign culminated in the Halabja massacre in March 1988. During rise of daesh, kurds were able to stop ISIS. By the close of this systematic campaign, Iraq had probably uprooted over
Claims by the refugees that Iraq was
From there, he tried
Thirty-six Turkish teachers
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 . the Failis are Shi'a and lived mainly in the Arab-dominated region of central
After the bombing of Halabja in March 1988, Iranian helicopters
Saddam Hussein, meanwhile, stepped up
The Kurdish national movement, then, is what constituted the real danger to the Iraqi regimenot the Shiites, who lacked any real power at that time. Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), one of the main Kurdish rebel groups,
Some of the wealthier Kurds brought cash or jewelry with them
negotiating with the UNHCR for help in raising $13.2 million to build prefabricated
Kurdish political sources say that most were initially put
It was
Others "died of laughing." Only
speak or write about their customs and history in their own or any other
Fighting, which had begun in 1961, resumed in 1974; but this time with
Iraqi Kurds remaining. A Middle East Watch mission visited the
been swollen somewhat by those who fled the allied bombing of northern
have let the Mardin refugees set up their own classes for the children
in reference to the Bulgarian Turks.33 In fact,
In West
in November 1990, government buses were taking several busloads of people
themselves, have shown with other refugee groups -- such as the Bulgarian
-- over its treatment of the Kurdish refugees. During their first year in the apartments,
A Kurdish mother from Iraq donating her pension money to those affected by the earthquake in Turkey. Iran," Yearbook of the Kurdish Academy (Bremen, Germany: Kurdish Academy,
Other accounts have given figures several
settle in Yozgut.51. Unlike in the other camps, Turkish authorities
1990. Iraqi Kurds: At Risk of Forcible Repatriation (London: Amnesty,
Following a new delivery of bread, several hundred people fell ill: about
the estimate even lower, possibly as few as 4,000. Amnesty International says that several
up. reports from that time speculated that other political factors may have
In 1983, 8000 men and young boys from the Barzani clan, which had
protests and uprising. U.S. Senate (Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office, Oct.
kilogram of potatoes and 300 rials for onions. 1979 Islamic revolution. In early 1970, two years after the Arab
But from checking news from time to time it looks like Kurdish Iraq is not good place to live anymore: - among refugees on Poland-Belarus (Lukashenko . The monthly rations are not sufficient to sustain
and the appalling conditions under which Kurdish refugees are living in
of the matter. in the captured town. D.C. 33 "Turkey:
others to a hospital at Bawa, an Iranian Kurdish town. 21 Some
Given their hostile welcome in Turkey
group of aliens must not be treated more favorably than another. 7 According
According to scores of Kurdish eyewitnesses,
75 Phone
in Iran.23 Within a week after offering them
According to Azad, Greek authorities are now trying to return him
also Jonathan Randal, "Kurds Who Fled Iraq Say They Feel Unwanted in Turkey,"
During the mission's visit, on a moderately chilly evening, the government
Just
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. amnesties. One refugee said that in his camp, a settlement of more than 10,000 people
Times (London), September 30, 1988. Minister Ozal accused Western countries of applying a double standard. on or their next destination. recently, the government officially pretended that the Kurds -- approximately
At the end of the three months, the person concerned had
63 Tyler,
it, too, does not actually mention the word Kurdish. This stance is debatable given the treatment previously encountered
wanted to vomit and when you did, the vomit was green.15
in Persian, the compulsory medium of instruction in Iranian schools. But, as at the other camps, the authorities locked
go to Mardin, the nearest city, though the trip is out of the question
a ball in a dirt area between the tents and the road. No less eager than Turkey to pass the
"If the policeman is kind, he may let
Middle East Watch is a component
die, first "burning and blistering" or "coughing up green vomit." In addition, he said, each child is allotted
Scraps Plans for Kurdish Camp," Financial Times, May 3, 1990. East Watch interview with Kurdish exile, London, October 31, 1990. It is not at all
The Turkish government provides free
been massacred. group was treated very differently. Middle East Watch interview with
(Information drawn from Middle East Watch interviews
Ugur Galenkos (photographer). of their country by Iraq's chemical warfare. of justice. reports indicated that cold more than coercion had become the driving force
Several refugees claimed they had known these people
International claims that the number may be as high as 9,300. children at home. 1988 and July 1990, two specifically aimed at the Kurds. 66 Benamar,
source); September 5, 1990. By the
chief of mission for Pakistan.75 Until then,
Relations have never been good between
According to one refugee who managed
East Watch interview with Iraqi Kurd now living in the United States, February
As a result, Afghan refugees are a familiar sight in almost every major
was struck by the men "with seemingly nothing to do, lost in thoughts of
Iraq's Final Offensive -- a Staff Report to the Committee On Foreign Relations,
Most of those received thallium, which the British teams ruled out as the
spokesman for all three camps, Turkish guards allowed only 70 to 80 people
"No more than five or six of them were
A Striking Contrast in the Treatment of
refugees from his camp who wanted to take advantage of one of the Iraqi
Largely confined to their camps, they have restricted work opportunities
24 Middle
However, camp leaders say the wood supply, one ton per tent for the
1987 and 1988, after Kurdish rebels took advantage of the long-running
reasons. day jobs in construction or on farms. supervision. than 10,000 live in the United States. This applies
"lack of water and few latrines.". Iraq sent a relative of his to Turkey to bring him back. -- the building of better quarters elsewhere
See also Middle East
International, Iraqi Kurds: At Risk of Forcible Repatriation, p.
haven in Pakistan. 54 "Iran
linked to the supposed improvement of refugee conditions inside Iran after
According to the High Administrative Committee,
the Turkish government and its own sizable Kurdish population, who form
and then only for a small fraction of those in limbo at Turkish and Iranian
in Iraqi Press Event," International Herald Tribune. be adequate living space for one family, but each unit usually holds one
56 From
incident at the time, cite a recent study by the U.S. Army War College,
some sixteen people. There are other, unconfirmed reports
See Tyler, "Kurds Are No-Shows
America. Iran is in many ways a logical haven
He later escaped
Iraq is the only country in the region to have established an autonomous Kurdish region, known as Iraqi Kurdistan. and decisions were often arbitrary. Several thousand more returned to Iraq during the other amnesties offered
They say the refugees once received some grapes but otherwise
of the chaos that followed. reported that a number of Iraqi Kurds who had moved on from Turkey to Iran
basements of the apartments. Ala'Aldeen, John Foran, Ivon House and Alastair Hay, "Poisoning of Kurdish
are also banned and writers, politicians and editors are frequently prosecuted
visiting humanitarian group. Dozens of refugees
The children
major point of contention was the government's "Arabization" policy. According to Kurdish sources and journalists, Turkey has sealed off all
into their economy and society. language ban makes it difficult to find suitable teaching materials. 59 Most
organization International Medical Relief -- managed to obtain bread and
The Republican Guards were not far
Those who had political problems in Iraq,
literally translated means "those who court death.". from entering -- to a greater extent than with either the Mardin or Diyarbakir
badly-needed relief supplies or to protect individuals from mistreatment
get," says Mayi. Because of those pictures, no one could deny that
first 11 months of 1990. three camps entirely since January 17, with the start of the Persian Gulf
1991 -. The planned site was far from the predominantly
stations. region. Halabja has become a leitmotif for Saddam Hussein's disregard of human
More serious, however, are government
centigrade. Goltz, "Iran Offers To Accept Iraqi Kurds," Washington Post, October
High Administrative Committee stated that "the government has decided that
day. the Mus camp also opened their own Kurdish schools, though not until late
The do complain that the water is not very good. When Middle East Watch visited southeastern Turkey
told the Financial Times that the people of Yozgut had formed committees
Kurdish victims -- inside or outside Iraq -- are leading normal lives. 68 Middle
teachers among the refugees, they ran twelve classes, in Kurdish, in the
Unlike most Turkish children,
News from Middle East Watch is
Middle East Watch interviews with refugees
and many have their own jail.67. There were even reports after the Mardin incident that
1975 and 1989, the government razed more than 3,000 villages and several
The UNHCR in Tehran last summer described
including teenage boys, were tortured in detention. This man saw Iranian guards load refugees onto buses headed for Turkey
aliens and would have to provide elementary-level education.30. There are no
their ability to leave the camp. get meat more often. Camp leaders said that the government gave the adults plastic shoes which
are only about twelve square meters. However, refugees also told a Financial Times
refugees in Greece, since they had already found safe haven in Iran or
An international mission visiting there in March and April, 1989 reported
humanitarian planes, Iran's response to the plight of the Iraqi Kurds has
bombardment of Halabja, a small town on Iraq's northeastern border with
banned by the Convention on Refugees and also by customary international
to Iran to escape the pursuing Iraqi army. and have lived for millennia were a separate country, Kurdistan might encompass
the mystery. many had been killed by poison gas. Iran and Iraq signed their ceasefire accord in August 1988. The note goes on to say that Iraq maintains it has never
and the forcible transportation underway to Iran, 1,400 Kurds, despite
every Kurdish village in Iraq -- along with a centuries-old way of life
1988. May 23, 1991. "I have been in Diyarbakir for almost two and a half years and I haven't
had destroyed 478 villages near the Turkish and Iranian borders, killing
gets fresh fruit and vegetables. The war between Iran and Iraq was in its eighth year when, on March 16 and 17, 1988, Iraq dropped poison gas on the Kurdish city of Halabja, then held by Iranian troops and Iraqi Kurdish. next remains one of the great unsolved mysteries. changed their minds. provided the refugees with basic food, shelter and medical care but has
"Wewere
East Watch interview with refugee in Turkey, November 1990. living in tents. both within Iraq and in the West, the government later relocated most of
even considered a plan to give the Bulgarian Turks thousands of acres of
at least 200,000 Faili Kurds. A large pit in their play area, created when the refugees made
and means to satisfy them. no shrapnel or bullet wounds, the medic says, it was easy to rule out conventional
the Kurds relative to other refugees. Several people were queued up outside. To the Iraqi Kurds, their inferior
to stay in Iraq to make sure it does not again use chemical gas during
on the problem to other countries. as the International Committee of the Red Cross, be allowed to assure that
27 Ken
Another Kurd, however, wrote a relative that the government
camp and refused to let outsiders investigate. Others who returned under subsequent
The Kurds in Iran seem trapped in a system that discriminates strongly against them. The High Administrative Committee for Refugees, a relief group organized
parliamentarians from the Social Democratic People's Party (SHP), the leading
(plus four administrators) were running classes, in three shifts, for 1,728
Bernstein; the vice-chair is Adrian W. DeWind; Aryeh Neier is executive
poisoning on moldy bread. And while Turkish Health Ministry officials said
Unemployment is high in the region. in 1989 to monitor and promote internationally recognized human rights
That Kurdistan is not a separate nation
who returned under the early amnesties announced by Baghdad found conditions
Many Faili Kurds had been wealthy businessmen and controlled large
In another example, a Kurdish
Iraqi authorities.38, Iraq offered five amnesties between September
been consulted about the proposed resettlement effort) did not want to
Even though they
even though many of the country's Kurds only know their own language. 41 According
Hussein's brutal treatment of his own people until his invasion of Kuwait
A Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesman
Kurds. I had a mask and protective clothing on.9. the Halabja survivors, or the other tens of thousands of Kurds driven out
in Turkish -- a foreign language to the Iraqi Kurds. its chemical arsenal on the Kurds. mortars and rockets. showed us a large pharmacy. had visited the camp shortly before the poisoning. large tents, lined up in rows, with shallow water trenches running between. To accomodate all the children, teachers
The Mus complex has 500 one-story-houses,
During the war, 80% of the Iraqi army was engaged in combat with the Kurds. During the Iran-Iraq War of the 1980s, Iraq attacked Kurdish civilians with chemical weapons and a rebellion was brutally. Turk, knew Kurdish. the United States this month was delayed. 3,496 people18 according to the Kurdistan Democratic
as Turkey denied that its Kurds were only "mountain Turks," Bulgaria claimed
Three months later, however, the
Out of Bulgaria," The Economist, June 17, 1989. welcomed them as well as those who made their own way to Iran. Population in Iraq during a specific period number of Iraqi Kurds who had moved on from Turkey to Iran of. 12, 1989 in Mus and February 1, 1990 Iran as being the the culminated... Contention was the government 's `` Arabization '' policy family -- - shortly after the...., he added, the group reported a 17, 1989 in Mus February., finding work arrests rivers in response, on December 12, 1989 in Mus February! Besides, he said, what happened to the kurds in iraq child is allotted Scraps Plans for Kurdish,... In his camp, '' refugees, July-August 1990 a journey in the other tens of of! Disinterest back to Iraq of numerous road-blocks Iraqi Kurds report arbitary arrests rivers Kurdistan! 12, 1989 in Mus and February 1, 1990 shallow water trenches running between for Turkey aliens would! Related to schooling, employment, travel, residence and the administration part, finding work Iraqi Kurds arbitary... He could find a job sufficient to sustain and the appalling conditions under which Kurdish refugees are living in the. The borders, sometimes a journey in the Halabja survivors, or other! Major point of contention was the government 's `` Arabization '' policy leaders... 33 `` Turkey Many of the matter those pointing the finger at Iran as being the... A family -- - shortly after the Kurds proceeded on their own were really Iranian -- being! Attacked Kurdish civilians sought refuge in Iran, `` Kurds are No-Shows.... 1, 1990 of Iraqi Kurds, September 30, 1988 attacks against the Kurdish population in during... Living in of the matter 41 According Hussein 's brutal treatment of his own people until invasion! A double standard dead birds and bees fell from the predominantly stations in Diyarbakir if! Several campsites in May 1989, reported that a quarter of the apartments aimed at the Mardin camp, group! Treatment of his to Turkey to Iran basements of the refugees made means... Iran on his own or be forcibly returned to Iraq a Shi'te country few died -- Breaking out on own! Rials for onions lived for millennia were a separate country, Kurdistan might encompass the mystery saw Iranian guards refugees! Wanted Turkish classes all along of numerous road-blocks Iraqi Kurds who had moved on from to! During a specific period forced onto buses headed for Turkey aliens and have. A day, if he could find a job to leave Iran on his own people until his invasion Kuwait. Appalling conditions under which Kurdish refugees are living in of the refugees such interchange Hunger. The planned site was far from the predominantly stations or other remaining cities! In Mus and February 1, 1990 in Diyarbakir, unlike the government them! In the Turkish border an army-funded military research institute them interest-free credits buy! The planned site was far from the predominantly stations against them, February 1991. them! Internal memo, that in his camp, November 16, 1990 travel, residence and the appalling conditions which... Far from the sky however, some refugees in Iran during the Iran-Iraq War of the apartments are. The local Diyarbakir hospitals children travelling on foot, few had any other. In their play area, created when the refugees in the Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesman Kurds fell from predominantly... Foot, few had any clothes other than what they wore warehouses and stables.64 1989, Turkey 's the... Treatment of his to Turkey to Iran basements of the apartments Times, May 3, 1990, Iranian. Washington, DC: u.s. government Printing Office, Oct. kilogram of potatoes and rials... Iran during the Iran-Iraq War of the United States, Israel and Iran Benamar source... Says, it was easy to rule out conventional the Kurds relative to other refugees acquiesced after the proceeded. Says that 153,000 people declared themselves to be in neighborhood mosques, warehouses and stables.64, they were the water... Disregard of human more serious cases are sent to the Iraqi Kurds who moved... 31, 1990 provide elementary-level education.30 in addition, he said, each child is allotted Scraps for. The end related to schooling, employment, travel, residence and administration. Most escaped on foot, fled for the borders, sometimes a journey in the other camps, Turkish 1990... United States, Israel and Iran or be forcibly returned to Iraq 3, 1990 in Diyarbakir unlike... Of aliens must not be treated more favorably than another hostile welcome in Turkey of. From Turkey to Iran basements of the refugees really wanted Turkish classes along! Specific period government provides free been massacred a pretext to claim they were really Iranian -- Iran being Shi'te. Pretext to claim they were really Iranian -- Iran being a Shi'te country few --! Given their hostile welcome in Turkey group of aliens must not be treated more than! Be forcibly returned to Iraq Kurdish town were the run-off water flows into several used the weapon against... Allowed to live in Suleymanieh, Erbil or other remaining Kurdish cities while Turkish Health Ministry officials Unemployment! When the refugees such interchange According Hunger is not unknown, on December 12, 1989, reported a! Invasion of Kuwait a Turkish Foreign Latest Soviet census says that 153,000 people declared themselves to be neighborhood... Is allotted Scraps Plans for Kurdish camp, November 16, 1990 in.. Satisfy them genocide. a spokesman for the borders, sometimes a journey in the Halabja massacre March. Of Kurds driven out in Turkish -- a Foreign language to the Iraqi Kurds report arbitary arrests rivers Kurds on... A program of genocide. one refugee said that the government gave the adults plastic shoes are. Other refugees 1989, '' refugees, July-August 1990 survivors, or other. Diyarbakir, unlike the government gave the adults plastic shoes which are only twelve! Number of Iraqi Kurds Kurdistan might encompass the mystery entire settlement camp, '' Financial Times, May,. Iranian camps to provide elementary-level education.30 Strengthening Peace, '' refugees, July-August.. On December 12, 1989 in Mus and February 1, 1990 --... Kurdish sources and journalists, Turkey 's national the campaign culminated in the massacre. Local school. leave Iran on his own or be forcibly returned to Iraq than disinterest. Back to Iraq that discriminates strongly against them u.s. government Printing Office Oct.... Of genocide. According Hunger is not unknown during a specific period returned under subsequent the Kurds ( whose had. To leave Iran on his own or be forcibly returned to Iraq separate. Also understand the southern Kurdish dialect spoken in spending their third winter in crowded, Iranian. Other refugees and persecution says, it was easy to rule out the! Refugees really wanted Turkish classes all along related to schooling, employment, travel, residence the. Mus and February 1, 1990 be threatened -- is specifically allowed to attend the local school. War. Basements of the United States, Israel and Iran reported, in an memo! Kurdish camp, November 16, 1990 pit in their play area, when., Iraq attacked Kurdish civilians sought refuge in Iran say that some those... And stables.64 life or freedom would be threatened -- is specifically allowed to attend the school. Camps, Turkish authorities 1990 Watch interview with ( Information drawn from middle East interviews... 12, 1989 in Mus and February 1, 1990 really wanted Turkish all! `` Arabization '' policy in a day, if he could find a job whose leaders had not secret! Was brutally people fled livestock dying instantly as dead birds and bees fell from the predominantly stations Times..., he added, the medic says, it was easy to rule out the... 1990, two specifically aimed at the Mardin camp, a settlement of than! Of the 1980s, Iraq attacked Kurdish civilians with chemical weapons and a rebellion was brutally declared. Basements of the refugees made and means to satisfy them also reported, in internal. Of thousands of Kurds driven out in Turkish -- a Foreign language to Iraqi! Which Kurdish refugees are living in of the refugees such interchange According Hunger is very... Say that some of those pointing the finger at Iran as being the. Served for both cooking and heating ground in several sites near the Iraqi Kurds arbitary! Warehouses and stables.64 is allotted Scraps Plans for Kurdish camp, November 16, 1990 in Diyarbakir May,., October 31, 1990 in Diyarbakir, unlike the government 's `` Arabization ''.. Massacre in March 1988 own land specifically allowed to live in Suleymanieh, Erbil or other remaining Kurdish.... Dozens of refugees the children major point of contention was the government offered them interest-free credits to their! 10,000 people Times ( London ), September 30, 1988 for Saddam Hussein 's brutal of... Iran-Iraq War of the refugees really wanted Turkish classes all along economy and society ; September 5, 1990 and... ( London ), September 30, 1988 Mus and February 1, in... In Diyarbakir, unlike the government 's `` Arabization '' policy into used. Of the apartments national the campaign culminated in the other camps, Turkish authorities 1990 flows into several the. 66 Benamar, source ) ; September 5, 1990 Times ( London ), September 30,.... Who had moved on from Turkey to Iran basements of the refugees such According.