IRAQ: Bethnahrin Patriotic Union official Joseph Sliwa accuses Kurdish leadership of land seizures in Erbil and Nohadra

NINEVEH PLAINS — In a recent television interview with Channel 8, former Iraqi MP and Vice President of the Bethnahrin Patriotic Union (Huyodo Bethnahrin Athroyo, HBA) Joseph Sliwa leveled serious accusations against the Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI), Masrour Barzani, and the leadership of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP). Sliwa claimed that they are illegally occupying lands belonging to the Chaldean–Syriac–Assyrian people in Erbil and Nohadra (Duhok), exploiting these areas for personal gain. He further alleged that the influential Kurdish clans within the KDP control Chaldean–Syriac–Assyrian villages in Nohadra.

Sliwa expressed deep regret over the perceived corruption among clergy and bishops, accusing them of being swayed by money to alter the truth and deny the hardships faced by the Chaldean–Syriac–Assyrian community. He also lamented his family’s participation in the September Kurdish Revolution, stating they would not have supported it had they foreseen the disastrous outcomes.

Sliwa’s statements aim to expose the actions of the KDP and rally support against these violations, urging collective action to defend the rights and properties of the Syriac-Chaldean Assyrians.