Baghdeda: Candlelight Vigil to Mark the 110th Anniversary of the 1915 Sayfo Genocide

BAGHDEDA (QARAQOSH), Nineveh Plains — In a sober and solemn atmosphere, the Baghdeda Local Committee of the Bethnahrin Patriotic Union (Huyodo Bethnahrin Athroyo-HBA) today organized a vigil to commemorate the 110th anniversary of the Sayfo Genocide, which in the year 1915 cost the lives of hundreds of thousands of Chaldeans-Syriacs-Assyrians and many more Armenians at the hands of Ottoman soldiers and allied Kurds.

The vigil included the lighting of candles in memory of all those innocent victims, to honor their sacrifices and to keep their memory alive. The vigil was attended by a large crowd of Chaldeans-Syriacs-Assyrians, representatives of local political, civil and religious institutions, and a number of national dignitaries.

The event began with a moment of silence and prayer for the souls of the martyrs. Speeches were then delivered, highlighting the horrific scale of the premeditated tragedy and the importance of holding on to identity and history. Mr. Yousef Yaqoub Matti, former HBA President and member of the overarching Bethnahrin National Council, delivered a moving speech in which he spoke about the meaning of remembrance. He stressed the need to continue the peaceful national struggle to realize the rights of the Chaldean-Syriac-Assyrian people in their homeland and thus preserve their dignity.

 

 

 

In his speech, Mr. Nour Safaa Subaih, member of the Baghdeda HBA Local Committee, emphasized the importance of national unity and the preservation of cultural and spiritual heritage. He praised the role of institutions that uphold Sayfo Remembrance Day year after year and ensure that it remains in the hearts of future generations.

At the end of the vigil, Mr. Samer Khaled Shamoun, head of the local committee of the Bethnahrin Patriotic Union in Baghdeda, expressed his gratitude to all who contributed to the organization of the commemoration and to all those present for their participation in this important and historic moment of national reflection.