NORTH AND EAST SYRIA: Commemorations held in Hasakah and Dayrik for 109th Anniversary of Sayfo Genocide

HASAKAH and DAYRIK, North and East Syria — The Bethnahrin National Council (Mawtbo Umthoyo D’Bethnahrin, MUB) in Dayrik (Malikiyah / Derik) and Hasakah in North and East Syria marked the 109th anniversary of the 1915 Sayfo Genocide.

In Hasakah, representatives from MUB institutions led a march from the Syriac Cultural Association headquarters to Sayfo Martyrs Memorial Square in the Nasira neighborhood. The event included a prayer for the martyrs’ souls and a speech by Fadi Dawi, Co-Chair of the Syriac Union Party (SUP) Hasakah Branch. Dawi discussed the period during which the Sayfo occurred and the Ottoman Empire’s decision to annihilate the Syriacs (Arameans–Assyrians–Chaldeans), Armenians and Greeks. The event concluded with attendees lighting candles at the memorial, with broad participation from city residents.

In Dayrik, the SUP branch organized a Sayfo commemoration at the hall of the Syriac Orthodox Mart Shmuni Church. The event was attended by representatives from national, political, military, security, and women’s MUB institutions, as well as a gathering of members of the Syriac (Aramean–Assyrian–Chaldean) community. The commemoration began with a minute of silence for the martyrs, followed by a speech from SUP official in Dayrik Sayde Ibrahim. A documentary on the causes and consequences of Sayfo was also shown.

Ibrahim told our news desk that the annual Sayfo commemoration aims to remind the Syriac (Aramean–Assyrian–Chaldean) people of their ancestors’ sacrifices and raise awareness about the ongoing Turkish occupation efforts to obliterate and displace them from their historical lands.

The memorial event was secured by the Syriac Security Forces (Sutoro) and Sutoro Women.