Today at the Italian University of Pisa where the KRG Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research representatives as well as members of 8 Kurdish universities were present, the 34th anniversary of the Halabja Chemical Bombardment commemorated.

At the beginning of the event, the attendees stood for a moment in silence to show respect for the loss of the innocent lives followed by a speech given by the UoH president Prof. Dr. Mahabad Kamil as shown below:

Good morning everyone,

Standing here today, speaking on the 34th anniversary of the chemical attack on Halabja and its people, my thoughts and my heart go out to the 5,000 people of Kurdistan who were attacked in the brutal war between Iraq and Iran by Sadam Hussein from mustard gas and sarin dropped on the town.
The vast majority of those who killed were unarmed men, women and children. Thousands more have continued to suffer long-term medical complications from exposure to chemical weapons.
Today, Halabja has become a symbol of the struggle and sacrifice of the Kurdish people around the world, and we must always honour the memory of the victims of this crime.
As academicians, it is our responsibility to continue with our efforts to ensure what happened in 1988 is never going to happen again neither to the Kurdish people nor others in the world.

Dear friends, on behalf of Ministry of Higher Education as well as the University of Halabja, I would like to thank our European colleagues to facilitate the commemoration of the 34th anniversary of the chemical attack of Halabja city.
I would also like to thank your attendance in the 34th commemoration of the chemical attack on the peaceful people of Halabje.

Finally, your attendance shows your royalty to the city and its people in commemorating the barbarian attack.

It is therefore, in the anniversary of the chemical attack, I call for 16 March to be recognised as an international day against chemical weapons.

Thank you for being with us today…