Draft resolution in Congress to recognize Genocides of Syriac people

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Years of vigorous endeavors of institutions of the Syriac (Aramean-Chaldean-Assyrian) people in the U.S. have resulted in U.S. legislators in Congress presenting a bill in Congress to recognize the Sayfo Genocide committed by the Ottoman Empire against Syriac people in 1915 and the Simele Massacre committed by the Iraqi Army in 1933.

Media outlets referred to the meeting of several personalities and organizations of Syriac people in Washington, D.C. to support this project.

The draft resolution will be presented by Reps. Debbie Lesko and Jean Schakowsky, and will stipulates that the Syriac (Aramean-Chaldean- Assyrian) community was a victim of the ongoing ethnic genocide by the Islamic State (ISIS), and that it is still suffering from its effects until now.

Lesko stated that she is sponsoring the draft resolution because she believes that it is important for people to know what happened to Syriac people, stressing the need of recognition so that it does not happen again.

She added that she had the honor to introduce a legislation that recognizes those Genocides and the difficulties faced by the Syriac people.

Congressional sources indicated that this resolution would lead to an official U.S. recognition, and rejecting any efforts to involve the U.S. or link it to deny the Genocides.

The Simele Massacre claimed the lives of more than 3000 people, and the Iraqi Army destroyed about 63 villages of Chaldean-Syriac-Assyrian people.