Syriac Union Party in Syria calls for international pressure on Turkey to recognize 1915 Sayfo Genocide

ZALIN, Syria — In a statement, the Syriac Union Party (SUP) recalled the 106th anniversary of the 1915 Sayfo Genocide by the Ottoman Empire against the Syriac (Aramean–Assyrian–Chaldean) people, a systematic attempt to annihilate Christians and other religious minorities at the time.

The statement pointed out that, “Political reasons and decisions by Ottoman leaders to carry out the genocide which left hundreds of thousands of martyrs, are sufficient to prove to the whole world that what happened is an ethnic genocide against an indigenous people living on their historical land of Beth Nahrain for thousands of years.”

“This issue has always been marginalized and absent from international forums despite being recognized by many European countries and the U.S.,” read the statement.

During the statement, the SUP renewed its pledge to continue the struggle for the rights of the Syriac (Aramean–Assyrian–Chaldean) people.

It also called for international pressure to be put on Turkey to recognize the crimes committed by their Ottoman ancestors and restore the rights of oppressed peoples in modern Turkey, as the continued marginalization of the issue and the failure of holding the perpetrator accountable has led to more massacres, ethnic cleansing, and demographic change.

The SUP concluded its statement by rejecting any chauvinistic, tyrannical, totalitarian or terrorist thought that works to abolish others, stressing the need to build a new Syria and Middle East based on democratic foundations that recognize the rights of all national and religious components.