Bethnahrin Patriotic Union denounces violation of rights of Chaldean–Syriac–Assyrian people in Kurdistan Region of Iraq following targeting of businessman Raed Aziz Hanna

ANKAWA, Iraq — The Bethnahrin Patriotic Union (Huyodo Bethnahrin Athroyo, HBA) in Iraq has strongly condemned the alarming violations perpetrated by Kurdish citizens in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI) against the Chaldean–Syriac–Assyrian people in KRI and Nineveh Plains following the recent attempt on the life of businessman Raed Aziz Hanna. The HBA placed full responsibility on the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) for ensuring the safety and security of citizens in the face of these disturbing incidents.

Expressing deep concern, the HBA warned that these egregious practices appear to be a deliberate effort to displace the remaining members of the Chaldean–Syriac–Assyrian community, who have grown disillusioned with governments claiming to protect their interests. The Chaldean–Syriac–Assyrian people in the KRI continue to face relentless attacks and violations, including nationalist bullying that extends to seizing their lands, harassing them in their livelihoods, and even threatening them with death by outlaw groups seeking to undermine peaceful coexistence.

In a public statement, the HBA criticized the governments in Erbil and Baghdad for their mere verbal responses to these allegations, emphasizing the urgent need for concrete actions. The party cited a specific incident on 11 May 2023, when two Kurdish men stormed headquarters of Wild Tiger, the manufacturer of the popular Wild Tiger Energy Drink, in Alqosh, threatening workers and shooting the exterior of the building with firearms following a lawsuit filed against them by Mr. Hanna for unsettled debts. Despite a court sentencing the accused to three months in prison in absentia, no measures were taken, and the convicts remain at large.

The situation escalated further on 23 November 2023, when Mr. Hanna was targeted in an attempted assassination in Nohadra (Duhok) by individuals in a car who opened fire on him. The HBA held the regional government fully accountable for the safety and security of citizens, urging immediate action against those violating the security and safety of individuals. The party called for the implementation of the law, the pursuit of justice, and a directive to the judicial and executive authorities to fulfill their legal duties.

The HBA’s statement underscored the gravity of these actions, warning that they pose a significant threat to the stability and security of the region. It stressed that the on-the-ground reality differs from mere allegations, emphasizing the need for genuine efforts to protect the interests of all citizens and prevent further displacement of the Chaldean–Syriac–Assyrian people who have lost faith in the protecting capacities of the current ruling parties.