Imani Lee, Inc.'s Kurdish Genocide Certified Translation Work Published in Historic New Book
The first phase of Imani Lee, Inc.'s work documenting the Kurdish Genocide has been published in a new book, Halabja: Facing the Poisons of Death, A Legal Reading of the Event and the Supreme Iraqi Criminal Court Documents, authored by Bakr Hamah Seddik Arif, a lawyer and member of the Iraqi Parliament.
- (1888PressRelease) April 22, 2014 - As part of its ongoing project with the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) and the Dialogue Institute at Temple University the first phase of Imani Lee, Inc.'s work documenting the Kurdish Genocide has been published in a new book, Halabja: Facing the Poisons of Death, A Legal Reading of the Event and the Supreme Iraqi Criminal Court Documents, authored by Bakr Hamah Seddik Arif, a lawyer and member of the Iraqi Parliament.
In 2013, Imani Lee began working with the KRG on its initiative to document the Kurdish Genocide, undertaking the task of translating previously classified, top-secret and secret government documents from Arabic into English related to the chemical attacks on the city of Halabja, Iraq on March 16, 1988. After 70 days of tireless work on this first of five phases of the larger Kurdish Genocide project, the first batch of packaged, translated and certified documents were used by the KRG Representative in the US to help initiate a congressional bill, H.Res. 422, sponsored by Rep. Chris Van Hollen, (D-Maryland) and Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R- Tennessee). A successful vote will declare that the United States officially recognizes the attack as an act of genocide against the Kurdish people.
The collective documents in English and Arabic are published in Mr. Arif's new book, curated with his commentary and additional legal and investigative research. A Kurdish native, Mr. Arif and his family were impacted by the 1988 chemical attack on Halabja, as well as the wider Kurdish Anfal Genocide. Now a member of the Iraqi Parliament with over a decade of experience in the legal profession, Mr. Arif has become one of the tireless champions of the recognition of the Kurdish Genocide. "Until now, the documents proving the genocide committed against the Kurds had remained virtually unknown," he said. "This new book not only includes all of the actual evidence collected over several years, but also explains why the documents prove that the atrocity indeed meets the criteria as a genocide, as explained by someone who was both a witness to it all and a current legal expert."
Huner Anwar, project director at the Dialogue Institute, one of the partners working collaboratively on the documentation initiative, said, "We at the Dialogue Institute congratulate Mr. Arif on the publishing of this historic new book, which is the result of decades of research, and the hard work of numerous individuals, both in Kurdistan, and in the United States."
"This is truly just the beginning of this important, historical human rights project, and we are very motivated to continue our work with Mr. Arif, the KRG and the Dialogue Institute," said Lee E. Martin, CEO of Imani Lee, Inc. Currently, Imani Lee is working on the next phase of translation and certification on more documents regarding further acts of genocide in Kurdistan. Part of that next phase is a trip to the Kurdish region in order to meet with the KRG, gather more documents, and further publicize this important initiative.
Bahar Martin, Vice President of Imani Lee, Inc. is also a Kurdish native, and is spearheading the trip. "We will be gathering new source material for further translation. Our work is not only being used by the US Congress, but also in Iraqi and US museums, colleges, universities, and other educational institutions."
Imani Lee is also exploring the development of educational content surrounding the Kurdish people and the Kurdish Genocide for SCOLA, a non-profit educational organization dedicated to helping language learners improve their skills and learn about other cultures around the world. Copies of the translated documents are also set to be displayed at the United States Library of Congress, the United States Holocaust Museum and on the newly redesigned Imani Lee website which will roll out in May 2014.
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