Iraq sets March 16 as public holiday to commemorate Saddam Hussein-era atrocities

BAGHDAD — The General Secretariat of the Council of Ministers has declared Sunday, March 16, a public holiday to honor the victims of atrocities carried out by the former Baathist regime, according to an official statement.

The decision marks the anniversary of a series of crimes that took place under Saddam Hussein’s rule, including the Halabja massacre, the Anfal genocide campaign, mass graves, the brutal suppression of the 1991 uprisings in Shia and Kurdish regions, the assassination of religious scholars, and the targeting of political parties.

March 16 is the date of the Halabja massacre, a devastating chemical attack unleashed by Saddam’s regime on the Kurdish city of Halabja in 1988. More than 5,000 people were killed and thousands more wounded. The attack is widely regarded as one of the worst chemical assaults on civilians in modern history.

The Baath Party, which governed Iraq from 1968 until the U.S.-led invasion in 2003, was responsible for widespread human rights violations, including genocidal campaigns and the violent quashing of dissent. Following the party’s removal from power, Iraqi authorities enacted Law No. 32 of 2016, criminalizing any form of support, promotion or glorification of the Baath Party.