Future Syria Party Head: The Assyrian people have suffered and continue to suffer at the hands of dominant states

NORTH AND EAST SYRIA — On Friday, 7 August, the 87th anniversary of the Simele Massacre, the head of the Syria Future Party, Ibrahim al-Qaftan, spoke about the need to recognize the crimes committed against Chaldean–Syriac–Assyrians and other groups to unify society.

“On this day, there was a massacre against the Assyrian people on August 7th, 1933, by the Iraqi government,” said al-Qaftan. “These peoples suffered from several violations, including killing and displacement, and these principles continue against them, along with other peoples who seek democracy and seek to live together with other peoples on the basis of citizenship.”

Al-Qaftan noted that these massacres are many and cannot be counted, including against the Chaldeans–Syriacs–Assyrians, Armenians, and Kurds. The massacres of Greeks in Anatolia and Constantinople are also numerous, said al-Qaftan, pointing out that until now the region’s dominant states have continued to exercise control through massacres against oppressed and peaceful peoples. Included in this, said al-Qaftan, are the crimes being committed in North and East Syria by occupying powers.

The Future Syria Party’s slogan is democracy, decentralization, and fraternity between the peoples, al-Qaftan said at the end of his speech, and called for solving societies problems through dialogue and peace, not violence.