Kristian Skeie

Editorial, 2016

Living as a survivor of the Halabja Chemical attack, Iraq (1988).

Dana Omar Ali was 6 years old (Born 1982) when the chemical attack took place in Halabja in 1988. He survived and became a university educted teacher. He grew up with a small 'cough' but did not think it was anything serious. 4 years ago, his lung capasity collapsed and he is now destined to stay in bed and needs a breathing machine to survive. — iraq halabja chemical attack genocide

The memorial cemetery in Halabja where victims of Saddam Husseins chemical attack of 1988 are buried. Baath's party (Saddam Hussein's party) members are not allowed in. — iraq halabja chemical attack genocide

The memorial cemetery in Halbja, Iraq, a sculpture symbolises the victims of the attack in 1988. Some young people use it as a meeting place. — iraq halabja chemical attack genocide

Girl on bike in the Jewish quarter in the city of Halabja, Iraq in June 2016. On Mach 16th, 1988, Iraqi planes dropped gas canisters on the town. Over 5000 people were killed and over 7000 people injured. — iraq halabja chemical attack genocide

Two women walking in the Jewish quarter in the city of Halabja, Iraq in June 2016, 28 years after the genocide in the city. On Mach 16th, 1988, Iraqi planes dropped gas canisters on the town. Over 5000 people were killed and over 7000 people injured. — iraq halabja chemical attack genocide

Evening Marked, Halabja, Iraq. June 3rd. 2016. — iraq halabja chemical attack genocide

Kamel Abdel Kader, born 1973. He survived the chemical attack in 1988 and continued to live relatively normally. He got ill 8 years ago and is now living with a breathing machine. — iraq halabja chemical attack genocide

Friends, including the Mayor of Halabja, Khder Kareem, (second from the left) are visiting Kamel Abdel Kader. — iraq halabja chemical attack genocide

Projektbeschrieb

HalabjaLiving as a survivor of the Halabja Chemical attack, Iraq (1988).

Dana Omar Ali was only 6 years old (Born 1982) in 1988. He lived in Halabja, a city in Iraq, close to the boarder of Iran. Saddam Hussein was the totalitarian Dictator who ruled the country. In 1988, he ordered a chemical attack on Halabja. Dana Omar Ali survived. He became a university educated teacher. Since the attack, he had developed a small 'cough' but did not think it was anything serious. 4 years ago (as of June 2016), his lung capacity collapsed and he is now destined to stay in bed and needs a breathing machine to survive.

This is a fairly common story in the city where over 5000 people were killed and over 7000 people injured. Many of the survivors today have developed problems, like Dana Omar Ali, after the attack.

Kamel Abdel Kader was born 1973 and was 15 years old during the chemical attack. He survived continued to live relatively normally. He got ill 8 years ago and is now, just like Dana Omar Ali, living with a breathing machine.

Today, Halabja is a small city of about 117000 mostly Kurdish people. ‘The chemical attack happened towards the end of the Iran Iraq war- the Kurds in the Halabja region was supported by Iran. On March 16th 1988, after two days of ordinary artillery attacks, Iraqi planes dropped gas canisters on the town. The town and surrounding district were attacked with bombs, artillery fire, and chemical weapons, the last of which proved most devastating. At least 5,000 people died as an immediate result of the chemical attack and it is estimated that a further 7,000 people were injured or suffered long term illness. Most of the victims of the attack on the town of Halabja were Kurdish civilians’. (Wikipedia).

No one knows exactly what was used, but it is believed that nerve agents Tabun, Sarin, VX as well as Mustard gas was used. Some argues that cyanid also was used.

In June 2016, I visited Halabja with journalist Vicken Cheterian. We both are adjunct faculty members at Webster University in Geneva and were given a small research grant in order to pursue this project. It follows the work I have done in Bosnia (Srebrenica) and in Rwanda about the lives of people who survived genocide. Cheterian has over the past few years done research about the Armenian genocide as well as currently working on a longer research topic of “Why the extreme violence in the the Middle East”.

Publikationsinformationen

Titel der Arbeit: Living as a survivor of the Halabja Chemical attack, Iraq (1988).