This is an open letter to the honourable members of the US Senate and distinguished figures in Washington. As a former Kurdistan Region Parliament member who witnessed the profound suffering of my people firsthand, I write bearing the weight of our shared history.
My life was rooted in displacement. In 1974, the Ba'athist regime violently uprooted hundreds of thousands of Kurdish families, creating a vast diaspora. I was born into exile in Iran in 1983, my first breaths drawn in the stark reality of statelessness.
This appeal transcends my personal story; it echoes the collective experience of every Kurdish family.
My father was a man of honor who took up arms in 1961, joining the Peshmerga under General Mustafa Barzani to fight for freedom under the slogan, “Kurdistan or Death.” His life was spent in the trenches.
Between 1963 and 1988, my father was seriously wounded five times. His final injury - a chemical weapons attack during the Battle of Khwakurk which marked a pivotal fight for Kurdish survival - left him partially blind. I grew up without his daily presence as he dedicated his entire life to liberation. To him, the nation transcended all personal bonds.
While I honor every martyr's family and Anfal genocide victim as my own kin in this vast national tragedy, 38 members of my immediate family were brutally massacred. I am the heir of thousands who gave everything for freedom. Kurdistan today was not a gift - it is a testament to the people’s blood, resilience, and unbreakable will.
From the 1991 uprising to the 2003 fall of tyranny, to the frontline war against the Islamic State (ISIS) in 2014 - where terrorists beheaded our sons and enslaved our daughters in an assault on our dignity - to the ongoing resistance in the Kurdish region of northeastern Syria (Rojava), the Kurdish people have consistently stood as a bulwark for regional stability and a proven ally to free nations.
Now, my people - in both the Kurdistan Region and Rojava - face a modern siege, financial strangulation and political pressure crafted to fracture our spirit and unravel the peace secured through immense sacrifice.
History records silence. We must choose the right side.
I urgently call upon you to cement this historic alliance by taking immediate action. Co-sponsor and vigorously champion the “Save the Kurds Act,” to stand firmly with principled leaders like Senator Lindsey Graham in this critical effort.
Our partnership was forged in shared sacrifice against common enemies. It is a strategic and moral bond that demands - and deserves - your defense.
Hasiba Saeed Gardi is a former member of the Kurdistan Parliament.
The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rudaw.
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