In April 2009, I joined a CPT delegation to Iraqi Kurdistan. I was surprised by the lush green mountains in the spring, capped with snow on the highest peaks. Below this magnificent range, valleys stretched out, dotted with pastureland and farmland, still littered with unexploded ordnance from the Iran-Iraq War. We walked carefully in marked areas, listening to Kurdish farmers and shepherds recount their experiences of living through war.
The impacts of past and present conflicts continue to haunt the Kurdish people. As the world’s largest people group without a homeland, they have endured constant oppression from Iran, Iraq, and Turkey. Today, CPT’s team persists in documenting the remnants of these wars and the ongoing Turkish offensive and land grab.
Yesterday, the Government of the Netherlands honoured CPT Iraqi Kurdistan with the Human Rights Tulip Award for their impactful work. Dutch Foreign Affairs Minister Caspar Veldkamp presented the award in The Hague, stating, “CPT Iraqi Kurdistan has empowered countless individuals by teaching them conflict resolution, reconciliation, and by providing a much-needed alternative narrative to the world. Because of your work, human rights will prevail.”
In August, the team published a report documenting civilian casualties resulting from Turkish and Iranian military operations between 1991 and 2024. The report meticulously collates, documents, and verifies the immediate harm, including death and injury, inflicted upon the civilian population by these operations within Iraqi Kurdistan. It aims to shed light on the ongoing strategies, objectives, and interests of these neighbouring countries in the autonomous region.
The team based in Sulaimani is the sole organization venturing into these border regions to document the ground reality and gather testimonies in support of Kurdish rights and to challenge Turkey’s violent colonial expansion.
As I write this, I am filled with gratitude for the courageous work of my colleagues and immense pride in their achievement. I dream alongside my Kurdish colleagues of lush mountain valleys, flowing streams, orchards brimming with apricots, and a people free within their own homeland.
You, our readers, donors, and supporters, make CPT’s work possible. As we conclude this year, please help us reach our year-end fundraising goals by participating in our raffle. You could win a spot on a delegation to Kurdistan in October 2025.
