Sayfo Remembrance Day: Bethnahrin Patriotic Union Party holds dialogue session

BETH NAHRIN — In commemoration of the 110th anniversary of the Sayfo Genocide, the Bethnahrin Patriotic Union Party in Iraq (Huyodo Bethnahrin Athroyo, HBA) held a special dialogue session addressing the genocide committed by the Ottoman Empire and allied Kurdish tribes against the Chaldean–Syriac–Assyrian people. The event took place in the Martyr Hall of the Chaldo-Ashur Organization of the Kurdistan Communist Party.

Panelists included Dr. Aziz Emmanuel Korkis, a member of the Union’s Executive Office; Akad Murad, Vice President of the Syriac Writers and Authors Union in Iraq; writer and journalist Oshana Nissan; Ronak Elias, Political Bureau member and Vice President of the Beth Nahrain Women’s Organization (BNOW); and Ablahad Hanna Saka from the Administrative Board of the Bethnahrin National Council (Mawtbo Umthoyo D’Bethnahrin, MUB), who moderated the discussion.

The session was also attended by Enheduanna Rohyo Özgun President of the Bethnahrin Women’s Union (Huyodo d’Neshe d’Bethnahrin, HNB); Ilham Matli, representative of the Syriac Women’s Union (Huyodo d’Neshe Suryoye b’Suriya, HNSS); and Manuela Demir, Co-Chair of the European Syriac Union (ESU).

The event opened with a welcoming address to the participating parties, organizations, and attendees. Dr. Aziz presented an overview of the Sayfo Genocide, alongside earlier and subsequent massacres, calling for a return to a unified national identity and standardized Syriac language, while respecting all modern dialects.

Oshana Nissan explored the motives behind the systematic targeting of the Chaldean–Syriac–Assyrian people, attributing the violence to extremist state ideologies that rejected coexistence and sought to erase minority identities.

Akad Murad discussed the conditions of Christians in northern Beth Nahrin (Mesopotamia) before and after Sayfo, analyzing the long-term effects of the massacres and the present-day challenges facing the Chaldeans–Syriacs–Assyrians. He urged today’s generation to confront these realities and preserve their heritage.

Ronak Elias concluded by recounting emotional oral testimonies passed down through families — heart-wrenching stories that capture the pain and resilience of a people who survived an attempt at erasure.