The British parliament last week formally recognised the genocide in Iraqi Kurdistan. We are pleased that the parliament took this decision and did so after an impassioned debate by several MPs, some of whom are old friends of Kurdistan, and with no opposition to the motion.

We appreciate that the British parliament also said it will encourage governments, the European Union and the United Nations to do the same. This underlines Britain’s role as a leading player in the international community and we hope that it will follow up on this decision. By doing so it will be sending a clear message to all dictators and oppressors.

Formal recognition is a step towards justice for all those who suffered in the decades-long campaign of death against the Kurdish people. It is acknowledgement of the suffering of the widows and the children left behind without knowing what happened to their loved ones or even where their remains lie. It took over two decades for some of the perpetrators to be brought to justice by the Iraqi courts.

We thank the British parliament, the individual MPs and members of the government and opposition who contributed to the debate and passed the motion. We also appreciate the role of the All-Party parliamentary Group on the Kurdistan Region, the Kurdish community who supported a petition calling for recognition and the Kurdistan Regional Government UK Representation which coordinated the campaign. We hope that other parliaments and governments will now follow suit.