On September 25, 2017, the Kurdish people of Iraqi Kurdistan overwhelmingly voiced their legitimate desire for freedom and sovereignty through the independence referendum. This historic event remains a powerful symbol of the Kurds’ relentless pursuit of self-determination after decades of struggle for their fundamental rights and dignity. Despite the challenging …
Read More »Statement of Support for the Rights of Kurdish Iranian Activists and Political Refugees in the Iraqi Kurdistan Region
September 7, 2024 We, the undersigned organizations of this statement, express our deep concern about the alarming and dangerous situation of political refugees, members of Kurdish Iranian political parties, and their families residing in the Iraqi Kurdistan region. These individuals have recently been forcibly and under pressure relocated from their …
Read More »CERD 113th Session: Joint Statement on the Evaluation of Iraq
Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) Joint Statement on the Evaluation of Iraq Geneva, August 2024, 113th session Maloca Internationale and Centre Zagros pour les Droits de l’Homme are two NGOs with ECOSOC status active in the field of minority law, with annual conferences on the Middle …
Read More »Statement from the Zagros Center for Human Rights on the Tenth Anniversary of the Yazidi Genocide
On the occasion of the tenth anniversary of the Yazidi genocide perpetrated by the Islamic State (IS), the Zagros Center for Human Rights joins the international community in honoring the victims and expressing our solidarity with the survivors. In August 2014, the brutal attacks against the Yazidi community not only …
Read More »Conference on the Peace and Coexistence under the Iraqi Constitution
Iraq is a Multinational, multilingual and multi-religious country. The national and ethnic communities of Iraq are Arabs (70 to 75%), Kurds (15 to 20%), Turkmen, Chaldeans, Assyrians, Armenians, Chechens and Circassians. Ethnic minorities make up up to 5% of the population. Islam is the official religion of Iraq. According to …
Read More »Oral Statement from Zagros Center for Item 3 at the HRC, March 15, 2024
55th session of the Human Rights Council (February 26 to April 5, 2024) Oral statement from the Zagros Center for Human Rights Item 3: General debate on the promotion and protection of all human, civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights, including the right to development March 14, 2024 Ladies …
Read More »36th Commemoration of the Chemical Bombing of Halabja
Today marks the somber anniversary of the massacre of Halabja, an unimaginable act of barbarity perpetrated against the civilian population of the Kurdish town of Halabja, in the province of As-Sulaymaniya, Iraqi Kurdistan, from March 16th to 19th, 1988. Nearly 5,000 Kurds were cruelly killed in chemical attacks ordered by …
Read More »The Negative Effects of the Treaty of Lausanne on Human Rights and Minorities
Human Rights Council Fifty-fifth session 26 February–5 April 2024 Agenda item 8 Follow-up and implementation of the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action Written statement* submitted by Centre Zagros pour les Droits de l’Homme, a non-governmental organization in special consultative status The Treaty of Lausanne(1), signed on July 24, …
Read More »Press Release on the Situation in Kirkuk Province, Iraq
Zagros Human Rights Center expresses deep concern regarding the recent tragic events in Kirkuk, Iraq, which have resulted in the loss of human lives and numerous injuries. We strongly condemn all forms of violence and call on all parties involved to exercise restraint, engage in dialogue, and resolve conflicts peacefully. …
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