Judge Abduljabar Aziz Hassan, President of the Judicial Council of the Kurdistan Region, on Monday welcomed a delegation led by Simon Minks, the Netherland’s National Coordinating Advocate-General contra terrorism, extremism, and international crimes.

During the meeting – which was attended by the Deputy President of the Judicial Council and several members of the Kurdistan Region’s Court of Cassation – Judge Hassan gave a briefing on the Council’s work and that of the Court of Cassation.

He also highlighted the serious crimes committed against the Kurdish people, from the Anfal Campaign and the chemical bombing of Halabja under the former regime, to the war against ISIS and the Yezidi Genocide.

He emphasized that the Kurdish people have long been subjected to threats of occupation, terrorism, and ethnic cleansing. For this reason, the international community must assume

greater responsibility, not only in preventing the recurrence of genocide against the Kurds, but also by officially recognizing these crimes as genocide in parliaments and international legal institutions around the world.

Minks gained prominence in 2004 for prosecuting Frans van Anraat, the first individual convicted for supplying the chemicals that were used in the Halabja massacre to Saddam Hussein.

The Netherlands currently has a specialized war crimes and counter-terrorism unit. “Sometimes they work together in cases when it comes to international war crime cases, and they often combine charges – for instance, terrorism charges or war crime charges,” Minks explained during the meeting. “For example, now there is a pending case against female suspects, and the charges are membership of ISIS and crimes against humanity, such as slavery,” he said during the meeting.

“I was also involved in the Van Anraat case, which was a terrible but important milestone. The court’s decision was final, but the process left a lasting impression.

“I first came to this region to pay my respects to the victims of the Anfal Campaign. Later, I also accompanied victims to the Netherlands. The testimonies and crimes I encountered created a deep personal connection to the Kurdistan Region. It saddens me that, to this day, the victims have not received any compensation from the federal government in Baghdad.

“The victims of the Anfall must not be forgotten,” Minks told Kurdistan Chronicle. “International legal cooperation is absolutely necessary to hold ISIS accountable. We must continue our efforts to establish an ISIS tribunal or a similar mechanism to achieve justice for minorities like the Yezidi, Shi’a, and Christians.”

Minks added that he is visiting the Kurdistan Region to promote the Kavien Justice Foundation, which honors the memory of Kavien Suleiman. “I hope to encourage students to learn more about the possibilities to be awarded with a scholarship from 2026 on.”

In conclusion, Judge Hassan praised the efforts of the Dutch government and Minks for raising their voices and pursuing justice in cases of genocide against the Kurdish people, and he called for continued and strengthened support from EU countries.