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Commemoration of the 25th anniversary of the Halabja tragedy
From March 01, 2013 until March 14, 2013
On Thursday, March 14, a commemorative event will be held in Madrid, including a conference and the screening of a documentary, all organized by the Office for Representation of the Regional Government of Kurdistan (within the Republic of Iraq) in Spain, with the cooperation of Casa Árabe.
The holding of this event commemorates the 25th anniversary of the poison gas attacks on the city of Halabja, in southern Kurdistan (Iraq). This massacre, also known as “Bloody Friday,” took place on March 16, 1988, during the final days of the Iran-Iraq War. Between 3,200 and 5,000 people died in the attack, and 7,000 to 10,000 were injured. Most of the victims were civilians. The Regional Government of Kurdistan is currently striving to achieve official acknowledgment of what happened as an act of genocide.
The opening ceremony of the commemoration will be presided over by the General Director of Casa Árabe, Eduardo López Busquets, and by the Representative of the Regional Government of Kurdistan (within the Republic of Iraq) in Spain, Daban Shadala. After this presentation, Manuel Martorell, a journalist and writer who is a specialist on the Middle East and Kurdistan, will be offering a conference, with a documentary film shown immediately after.
SCHEDULE
7:30 – 7:35 p.m. Official opening of the event, presented by Eduardo López Busquets, Director of Casa Árabe
7:35 – 7:40 Speech by the representative of the Regional Government of Kurdistan (within the Republic of Iraq) in Spain, Daban Shadala
7:40 – 8:20 Speech by Manuel Martorell, a historian and journalist who is a specialist on the Middle East
8:20 – 8:30 Documentary film on the tragedy in Halabja
A journalist and writer who specializes in the Middle East and the Kurdish problem, Mr. Martorell has worked at the EFE Press Agency, the newspapers La Voz de Almería, Diario 16 and El Mundo, as well as other news media. He is the author of the first book on Kurdish history written in Spanish: “Los Kurdos: historia de una Resistencia” (“The Kurds: History of a Resistance”) and the book “Kurdistán: viaje al país prohibido” (“Kurdistan: Journey to the Forbidden Country”), a panoramic description of Islamic societies that allows us to get a closer look at the culture and political history of the Kurdish people. At present, he is a writer for the online newspaper Cuartopoder.
The opening ceremony of the commemoration will be presided over by the General Director of Casa Árabe, Eduardo López Busquets, and by the Representative of the Regional Government of Kurdistan (within the Republic of Iraq) in Spain, Daban Shadala. After this presentation, Manuel Martorell, a journalist and writer who is a specialist on the Middle East and Kurdistan, will be offering a conference, with a documentary film shown immediately after.
SCHEDULE
7:30 – 7:35 p.m. Official opening of the event, presented by Eduardo López Busquets, Director of Casa Árabe
7:35 – 7:40 Speech by the representative of the Regional Government of Kurdistan (within the Republic of Iraq) in Spain, Daban Shadala
7:40 – 8:20 Speech by Manuel Martorell, a historian and journalist who is a specialist on the Middle East
8:20 – 8:30 Documentary film on the tragedy in Halabja
Manuel Martorell
A journalist and writer who specializes in the Middle East and the Kurdish problem, Mr. Martorell has worked at the EFE Press Agency, the newspapers La Voz de Almería, Diario 16 and El Mundo, as well as other news media. He is the author of the first book on Kurdish history written in Spanish: “Los Kurdos: historia de una Resistencia” (“The Kurds: History of a Resistance”) and the book “Kurdistán: viaje al país prohibido” (“Kurdistan: Journey to the Forbidden Country”), a panoramic description of Islamic societies that allows us to get a closer look at the culture and political history of the Kurdish people. At present, he is a writer for the online newspaper Cuartopoder.