Sixth anniversary of the genocide on Chaldeans-Syriacs-Assyrians and Yezidis by ISIS. Bethnahrain Patriotic Union statement

NINEVEH PLAIN – On the sixth anniversary of the genocide against the Chaldean-Syriac-Assyrian people in the Nineveh Plain, the Bethnahrain Patriotic Union party issued a statement remembering the umpteenth massacre and displacement of the Chaldean-Syriac-Assyrian people arguing it is part of a longer series of massacres and displacement in Iraq.

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If we say today that the genocide on the Chaldeans-Syriacs-Assyrians solely commenced in the night of 6 August 2014, we could be mistaken in determining the depth of time.

After the American occupation of Iraq in 2003, and specifically in June 2006, the new contours of the long genocide against the Chaldeans-Syriacs-Assyrians in Iraq began to become visible. The latent hatred against our people began manifesting itself on the ground by those who were waiting for the opportunity to seize and conquer. As before and throughout history, they reinvigorated the series of killings and displacements against Christians, from Basra to Nineveh. The nearest series in history befell our Chaldean-Syriac-Assyrian people in the twentieth century in Iraq. It was a very long and painful century in which the number of massacres and displacement campaigns against our people numbered not less than seven. We were treated as second-class citizens, both at the level of understanding and actions by Iraqi authorities as at the level of perception by some groups of people void of human sympathy and national insights and.

The Chaldeans-Syriacs-Assyrians were, in general, subjected to psychological terror during successive authorities and governments of Iraq, dispossessing their lands and bringing about demographic change in their living areas. The Christian was and is treated under the contrary concepts of desirability and reprehensibility The Christian is desirable for his high degree of patriotism, sincerity and devotion to duty, but he is to be condemned for his religion and beliefs. To this day, it is not desired or seen suitable for the Christian to participate in leadership and public decision-making. This comes to expression through multiple articles of the new Iraqi constitution and the despicable quota system which intentionally cancelled true national cooperation and partnership.

The next step in the series of killings and displacements began in 2006 when the Chaldeans-Syriacs-Assyrians were displaced from, in particular, the capital Baghdad with more than 650,000 displaced Christians; Mosul with more than 200,000 displaced Christians; as well as, and without exception, the rest of the Iraqi governorates from where tens of thousands of Christians were displaced. 1,450 people were martyred, 168 people missing, and 68 women were taken captive. As for financial extortion, it exceeded tens of thousands of people and churches. Out of a total of more than 1.5 million Chaldeans-Syriacs-Assyrians in pre-2003 Iraq an estimated 350,000 remain.

We say that the last in the series of genocide was at the hands of the terrorist organisation ISIS which in the night of 6-7 August 2014 attacked the residents of the Nineveh Plain. The 120,000 Christians that survived previous displacements were abandoned. But we also say that this will go down in the pages of our history books as again a new episode in our Chaldean Syriac-Assyrian popular struggle. It was the start in our national and patriotic struggle in terms of preparing a fighting regiment to participate in the war against ISIS and our participation in liberation. And our national and national struggle will continue.

We the Beth Nahrain Patriotic Union, alongside and in cooperation with several more of our people’s parties, believe in establishing a region of self-administration under Article 119 of the Iraqi Constitution for our people in the Nineveh Plain or its governorates. We believe and fight to compensate all martyrs, missing, and forcibly displaced people. We will not forget our joint struggle with the Yazidi brothers and sisters, and we will continue to struggle inside and outside Iraq, with the international community, the UN, and the big countries until we achieve all of our people’s rights and national entitlements.

We are also fighting alongside the nation’s parties that have not been contaminated with the temptations of power, and with benevolent national groups of our Iraqi people to bring about real change in Iraq, establish a state of satisfaction for the people, a rational government, and a fully working federal democratic system.

Here, it is worth pointing to our Chaldean-Syriac-Assyrian people that individual struggle will not produce result. That is why we invite all of you, inside and outside Iraq, to the path of unified struggle by bringing in your effort, money or knowledge. In this regard, and we are not exaggerating, we declare that we have achieved real unified successes for our people with seven other of our political parties – including, but not limited to, what was achieved at the Brussels Conference of 28-30 June 2017. Positive results which have persuaded many powers in Europe and America. However, our work is still needed because we know for certain that the Iraqi government does not recognize the rights of minority components despite their inclusion in the Iraqi constitution.

Here we also bring to mind that continuous struggle is the only way to pressure governments and all those who neglect the rights of the people.

Sons and daughters of our people, on this occasion we strongly recommend you do not consent and give in to anyone who wants to undermine our popular struggle with corrupt media, fake news and rumours aimed at breaking the ranks of the Chaldean-Syriac-Assyrian people and making our people an easy catch for them and their followers. We express our pride that from their undermining attempts we understand that our struggle has become a reality and that our struggle affects their narrow-minded policies. Why else do they launch media campaigns against us through their agents? To them we say, in case you oppose this kind of struggle, why have you not yet proposed an alternative?!

The biggest disaster was on our people which was divided and torn apart by disgraceful media creating a loss of confidence among our people. The media attacks made our people sceptical of the so-needed unity and caused loss of confidence in its political leaders. Here we want to clearly say to our people that if it really tries to achieve something in Iraq with the support of its real politicians, it will reap impressive results. In this regard we make reference to the successes of our people’s politicians in northeaster Syria where they brought people together and protected our people. They made our people a true partner in the Democratic Autonomous Administration, not a simple quota.

On this occasion we pledge to you to continue the struggle for the full rights of our people and our right to a decent life on the land of our ancestors.

Glory and eternity to the martyrs of our Chaldean-Syriac-Assyrian people!

Glory and eternity to the martyrs of the Iraqi struggle for nation building and freedom!

Glory and eternity for the martyrs of freedom in the world!

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