Photos by: Ezzat Shafiq

As 62-year-old Shafiq shares, the chemical attack on March 16, 1988, on Halabja was especially painful, as he crossed many of the city’s streets on that day using his small handheld camera to capture the scenes of the crime committed against the Kurds.

Ezzat Shafiq pondered the photographs, remembering the scenes he had witnessed and documented 37 years ago. These photos carry significance for the Kurdish people, for him, and for Halabja, reminding us of the genocide of the Kurds.

On that harrowing day, the Iraqi Ba’athist regime bombed Halabja with banned chemical weapons, killing 5,000 civilians and wounding hundreds more.

Although he was unable to capture any photos on the first day, he eventually began snapping pictures. “The pictures I took were mostly of houses, streets, and even the cemeteries of the martyrs."

The tragedy he witnessed was unthinkable. “Everywhere we went, the streets were full of bodies. Some were half buried in the sand, others half exposed, because the planes had bombed their homes,” he said.

Shafiq stayed in Halabja for 18 days. In addition to recording the tragic scenes, he and others collected people’s bodies and buried them. However, his health deteriorated because of the effects of the chemical gas, and he returned to Iran.

What distinguishes Shafiq’s work from that of foreign photographers and journalists is that he was more personally affected by the scenes being from Halabja.

Although Shafiq’s camera was not high quality, it became an invaluable tool for Halabja. As the only Kurd from Halabja to photograph the aftermath of the attacks, he was able to document the scenes and preserve them as historical evidence for the future.

He also mentioned that there were many places that he could not access due to the number of bodies and difficult conditions.

The work of all the photographers and journalists who came to Halabja in the aftermath of the chemical attack and recorded the scenes is vital for the history of the Kurdish people. In recognition of their efforts, a statue has been placed inside the Halabja Monument as a symbol, honoring their work and ensuring they are not forgotten.