Bethnahrin National Council remembers martyrs of 1933 Simele Massacre on 91st anniversary

BETH NAHRIN — On the 91st anniversary of the 1933 Simele Massacre, committed by the Iraqi Army against the Chaldean–Syriac–Assyrian people, the Presidential Committee of the Bethnahrin National Council (Mawtbo Umthoyo D’Bethnahrin, MUB) issued a statement condemning the atrocity.

The MUB statement reflected on the historical context, noting that after World War I, the dominant powers of the time redrew the geography of the Middle East according to their own interests. This led to the creation of new states and the establishment of regimes based on tyranny and the destructive principles of nationalism. As a result, stateless peoples faced the threat of extinction, enduring policies of denial, genocide, and the destruction of human values.

The statement highlighted the tragic events of the summer of 1933 in Iraq, when the Iraqi government, responding to the demands of the Chaldean–Syriac–Assyrian people, committed a massacre on 7 August that became known as the Simele Massacre. The massacre was an attempt to obliterate the people and uproot them from their lands.

The MUB further explained that the Iraqi state, like other countries founded during that era, was built on Arab chauvinism and the ideology of annihilating diverse identities. This mindset led to violent responses to the nationalist aspirations of the Chaldean–Syriac–Assyrian people, as part of a broader strategy by regional and international powers to neutralize these communities.

The committee emphasized that the people of Simele did not accept this mentality of occupation and denial. Their spirit of resistance represented their national will, and supporting the policy of unity and liberation led by the heroes of national resistance remains of great importance today. It is a fundamental duty for all members of the community.

“Our enemies attacked the national will of our people with the Simele Massacre,” the MUB stated. “Our responsibility as MUB is to honor the spirit of national independence of the Simele martyrs by strengthening national unity.”

The statement concluded by calling for justice for the martyrs of the Simele Massacre through the establishment of a social nationalist platform that represents the people on an international level and defends the values of their homeland, Beth Nahrin (Mesopotamia). The MUB urged the international community to recognize the Simele Massacre and called on their people to defend their national unity and values.