Bethnahrin National Council demands justice and recognition on 90th anniversary of Simele Massacre

BETH NAHRIN — On the 90th anniversary of the Simele Massacre, the Bethnahrin National Council (MUB) issued a powerful statement demanding justice and recognition for the atrocities committed against the Syriac–Aramean–Assyrian–Chaldean people. The statement shed light on the history of oppression, genocide, and marginalization faced by the Syriac–Aramean–Assyrian–Chaldean people and called for accountability for the Simele Massacre and other heinous acts of violence targeting the community over the decades.

“During the 1916 Sykes-Picot Agreement, Beth Nahrin [Mesopotamia] and the Middle East were divided, leaving the Syriac–Aramean–Assyrian–Chaldean people a target for genocides and atrocities,” read the statement. In Sykes-Picot Agreement, our people were stripped of their rights, after suffering from the Sayfo Genocide and displacement.”

The Simele Massacre, occurring in 1933 during Iraq’s independence from British colonialism, was a horrific chapter in the history of the Syriac–Aramean–Assyrian–Chaldean people. Thousands were killed, tens of thousands displaced, and homes and holy places were destroyed and looted, leaving survivors to endure hunger, disease, and refuge in camps.

The policy of exclusion continued for decades, hindering the Syriac–Aramean–Assyrian–Chaldean people’s ability to organize and unify, and leading directly to contemporary crimes, such as those committed by the Islamic State (ISIS) in 2014 against the Chaldean–Syriac–Assyrian and Yezidi peoples of Nineveh Plains.

The MUB called on the international community to intervene and stand against authoritarian and extremist forces in the region, urging institutions and organizations to support the cause of the Simele martyrs. The MUB also called on the Iraqi government to recognize the Simele Massacre and do more to redress the affected communities.

Calling on all Syriacs–Arameans–Assyrians–Chaldeans to join ranks under the banner of national struggle, the statement concluded:

“The MUB will continue its struggle in the homeland, diaspora, and all international forums, until achieving recognition of Simele Massacre and justice for its victims. The Simele martyrs are the motive for reviving our national will. By reviving that will, we will be able to obtain our rights and the freedom of our people.”