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As a plastic surgeon I was involved in many war casualties since Vietnam 1967,
1973 in Afghanistan and all around the world, wherever there was war.
I was also asked as a plastic reconstructive surgeon,
if I would be ready to go there and treat cases on the spot
or maybe take some of them to Vienna.
This was my life for many many years
and in this way I was also engaged in the conflict
between Iran and Iraq and therefore I became acquainted to the Kurdish situation in 1988.
The Halabja situation, to me, was very interesting
and a new situation because I had information
and I had some experience in poisonous cases, which came to Vienna.
But Halabja was a special situation,
because it was bombed several times on the spot and many patients,
many Kurdish patients were involved and killed and some of them survived.
And I became acquainted to a small boy who was brought to Vienna
for treatment together with some other cases.
After the first attack of poison in the Iran-Iraq conflict,
I was interested, after I have seen all these patients,
what poison, what gas has been used.
And finally I asked if they could present me a specimen,
a bomb, which was eventually available,
not exploded!
So I was brought to an area close to Teheran with the experts there,
with gas masks and body-protection.
We were able to defuse an unexploded bomb in the Teheran area.
And with this chemical solution,
which was taken out of the bomb with special instruments,
I could take a sample to Vienna.
And then I was in the plane.
But before I entered the plane the Iranian Bodyguards
wanted to take this specimen and said
that it was impossible to take this along.
So there was a big fighting.
Finally I could succeed and I could bring the sample to Vienna.
And with this sample,
I could present it to the toxicologists in Vienna.
An the toxicologists in Vienna,
together with toxicologist Professor Hendricks from Gent
and some experts from Germany,
all three found out, that it's high concentrated Mustard Gas.
So this was the first clear certificate that
high concentrated Mustard Gas was included in this bomb.
And this was,
all the horrible situations which I have seen afterwards and so many cases,
clear pure high concentrated Mustard Gas.
And Mustard Gas is highly intoxicated, which disturbs all organs.
Mainly the lung, but also the kidneys,
also the skin but not so much like the inner organs,
also the eyes, this patients had all irritated eyes.
And the treatment in all this situations is very difficult,
because the disturbance and the irritation were so grave,
that we actually,
with all our treatment could not cope with it.
We could make it a little bit easier
with all the favorable situations in the hospital,
but we could not cure these patients.
They are permanently damaged.
They are suffering all the time, over the years,
so they cannot make a normal living.
They cannot do sports or do energetic work and handwork.
They can make a small living, but in a steady,
permanent and durable situation,
in which they can only live, but not work.
I was asked, I think it was in Sulaimania,
how many cases I have seen,
what the situation was and what kind of treatment
we could give these poor patients
who were mainly women and a few children.
But all our treatment was not efficient,
because the situation was, that there actually was no treatment.
They were coughing, they all had fever,
again and again,
as soon as the winter arrived in Vienna they spitted blood,
they were feeling bad and had high temperature.
All the treatment that we used did actually not help.
Because the organs, mainly the lungs,
were heavily involved and damaged.
Damaged to a degree, that there was no treatment possible.
They were permanently in danger
that they will maybe not overcome this.
Kayvan was this young man who was able to remain in Austria.
He found a family which took this fellow from Kurdistan in and raised him.
He was at the age of 14 or 16
when he came to Vienna and when he was placed in a Viennese Hospital,
a private hospital, where I could treat him.
But I had forgotten this fellow, because it was years ago.
Than some Viennese reporter told me
:" There is a fellow who names your name, Freilinger!"
I asked: "Yes, what is with him?"
"He is here and please if u like to see him,
he's Kayvan from Kurdistan who was heavily injured
by bombing of Mustard Gas bombs.
And he remained in Austria.
He found a family which took him in,
raised him, which gave him support
and all these years he never returned to his family in Kurdistan
because it was not possible for him to come to his home country again.
So he remained here and made his living,
his simple living, because he is not able to do hard work.
But he could find a small business,
with which he could at least support his life!"
Years afterwards I was making a visit to Halabja
and I saw the cemetery there.
And I was aware of what had happened.
How many dead persons had been placed in this cemetery next to Halabja,
poisoned by this horrible gas, Mustard Gas.
Such a sad situation.
These are the dead ones below the earth.
But the others, who are suffering,
who have not been killed,
but who are in a permanent horrible sickness situation,
because they are coughing, their normal life is impossible,
is even more sad than the ones who had been killed immediately.
I think "Genocide" is a horrible word, because it should not exist.
And if some leader, in this case Saddam Hussein,
is killing thousands of persons,
to almost kill a nation or erode the nation,
I think this is the most cruel situation
which we can find in life.
And I had been on many battlefields.
Starting in Vietnam,
ending up in South African countries and South American countries.
But a situation like this, what has happened to the poor Kurdish People
is unique in the world and cannot be excused at all.
This is, I think, the most horrible situation
which one can do to people, to a whole nation, as it was used here.
Bombing with pure high concentrated Mustard Gas.