Bethnahrin National Council issues a statement marking anniversary of forced disappearance of Syriac leader Saeed Malki 

BETH NAHRIN — On the 10th anniversary of the illegal arrest and forced disappearance of Syriac leader Saeed Malki by the Syrian regime, the Bethnahrain National Council (Mawtbo Umthoyo D’Bethnahrin, MUB) issued a statement renewing its demands to reveal his fate and hold the Syrian regime accountable.

“On 12 August 2013, the Syrian regime arrested our comrade Saeed Malki, who is a leader of our national struggle. Since his arrest until today, the MUB has made many efforts to reveal the status of comrade Malki,” the MUB stated. “In order to obtain information from the Syrian regime officials, the MUB requested the assistance of international humanitarian institutions and organizations, but the regime, till today, is covering up Malki’s fate, through false and contradictory statements.”

The MUB added that this inhumane approach shows the barbaric face of the regime, which killed and arrested hundreds of thousands of people and practiced the most heinous types of torture against them in detention during 12 years of civil war.

The MUB continued that the Syrian regime violates international laws by detaining people without fair trials, preventing them from meeting their families or lawyers, and covering up their conditions.

The MUB stressed that it will continue to demand that the Syrian regime be held accountable for covering up any information about comrade Malki for ten years.

This call carries national and societal significance for the MUB and Syriac (Aramean–Assyrian–Chaldean) people, said the MUB, indicating that it will redouble its efforts to reveal the fate of comrade Malki.

“We will continue our demands to hold the Syrian regime accountable, until the liberation of our comrade Malki,” the MUB declared.

The statement concluded:

“The fascist Syrian regime cannot destroy and stop our struggle and is unable to kill the spirit of our resistance. The seeds of our national struggle were sown in the soil of Bethnahrin [Mesopotamia], including Syria, and led an army of thousands of fighters. Thus, our people goals of gaining freedom and rights will be achieved.”