Simon Minks, the Netherlands’ National Coordinating Advocate-General for counter-terrorism, extremism, and international crimes, visited the Kurdistan Region in late April and met with senior Kurdish officials.

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

“I was one of the prosecutors in the Anraat case. I studied the case file in great depth, but I also deeply immersed myself in the history of the Kurds and everything that happened to them,” he told Kurdistan Chronicle. “I was so profoundly affected that I may have made an unusual decision: after the Anraat case became final and irrevocable, I traveled to Kurdistan in a personal capacity to pay my respects to the victims. Since then, I’ve felt a strong connection with the Kurds in Iraqi Kurdistan.

“We did indeed charge complicity in genocide, but the court did not find that proven. This was later confirmed by the Supreme Court, which emphasized that genocide, as an international legal concept, is highly complex. It requires special intent on the part of the perpetrator, and we were not able to prove that. What was found proven was complicity in war crimes committed by Saddam Hussein, Ali Hassan al-Majid, and their associates, who together launched the Anfal Campaign and inflicted immense suffering on the Kurdish population – suffering that continues to this day and will continue into the future.

“When Anraat was convicted, we were not really surprised – there was substantial evidence – but it was disappointing that he was not found complicit in genocide.”

Close ties to Kurds

Shortly after the case concluded, Minks came to the Kurdistan Region to honor the victims of the genocidal Anfal Campaign and the Halabja chemical attack. “After years of specializing in international core crimes like genocide, war crimes, and chemical attacks – the most serious crimes imaginable – this has shaped my life, especially the realization that you must always do what you can for the victims of such grave crimes.”

Minks also collaborated with Bayan Sami Abdul Rahman, now Senior Advisor to Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Prime Minister Masrour Barzani and formerly the Kurdistan Democratic Party representative to the UK. “We attended many meetings and conferences together. It was a great honor and fit well with what I felt was my duty: to contribute, however small, to achieving justice for Saddam Hussein’s victims,” he said.

As National Coordinating Advocate-General, Minks primarily handles terrorism appeals, including cases involving Al Qaeda and ISIS. He has also advised the UN on terrorism cases.

“These include cases where Yezidis and other religious groups such as Christians and Shi’a. At this moment, we have – for the first time in the Netherlands – an appeal case against a woman who is accused of being an ISIS member and of holding Yezidi slaves,” he told Kurdistan Chronicle.

On April 24, Minks met with KRG Prime Minister Masrour Barzani, who thanked him “for decades of work on genocide and terrorism cases, some of which involved Saddam Hussein’s use of chemical weapons and others that involved Yezidi victims of ISIS.”

Prime Minister Barzani also thanked Minks for his ongoing efforts to secure justice for the victims of atrocity crimes.

“It saddens me that people who have suffered so much – and continue to suffer – have not been compensated in any meaningful way, to the extent that’s even possible,” Minks said. “They’ve received no financial support, and I find that deeply disappointing.”

On March 16, 2025, the 36th anniversary of the Halabja chemical attack, KRG Prime Minister Masrour Barzani posted on X, criticizing Baghdad’s continued refusal to “constitutionally provide reparations to the victims of the former Ba’ath regime.”

Continued search for justice

During his visit in April, Minks came to promote the Kavien Justice Foundation – established in memory of Kavien Suleiman, a Kurdish friend, who passed away in November 2021 at the age of 27 – together with his mother and cousin. “I hope to encourage students to explore the opportunity to apply for a scholarship starting in 2026,” he said.

“When I visited the region in 2017, I was a guest at the American University in Duhok, where I gave a keynote speech on the atrocities against the Yezidis. That’s where I met Kavien, who studied in Leiden and The Hague – someone full of ideas, deeply involved in Kurdish history and accountability, who sadly passed away too young, at 27,” he said. “To keep his memory alive, together with his mother Awaz and Kurdish writer Nazand Begikhani, we founded a foundation in Kavien's name.

“We’re here to promote the foundation and encourage students from Leiden and certain universities in Kurdistan to write articles or make contributions in line with Kavien’s vision and Kurdish history.

“We must motivate young people to engage with topics like justice, especially now that the world seems to be moving in a different direction. This is how we can draw attention and inspire the younger generation,” he said.

Minks underlined that Kavien, before he died, organized an exhibition on Halabja at Leiden University and was deeply engaged in seeking justice for Kurds and later Yezidis. “Even in dark times, he always looked for light. He tried to connect people and explore how to achieve justice for peoples who have been victims of atrocities – like the Kurds under Saddam and minorities such as the Yezidis under ISIS.”

Minks also spoke at the Fourth International Kurdish Studies Conference at the University of Kurdistan Hewler on victims of international crimes, especially the fate of the victims of the Anfal Campaign.

During his visit, he also paid his respects at Kavien’s grave, reaffirming the Foundation’s mission to “keep his ideas alive, to bring attention to his values: justice, accountability, and positive thinking.”

In addition, Minks helps private meetings regarding the possible establishment of an ISIS tribunal, which is one of the goals of the current Dutch government, and whether Kurdish evidence can contribute to that. “That’s both my profession and the reason I’m here.”

So far, Minks has been to Halabja twice. “It was deeply moving to be confronted with the images and live testimonies. It leaves you speechless. I’ll never forget the first time I visited. We must continue to fight for justice – especially in this context,” he concluded.