SÜDEF President Evgil Türker: The Sayfo Genocide is core to our Syriac identity

MIDYAT, TUR ABDIN — Evgil Türker, President of the Federation of Syriac Associations in Turkey (Süryani Dernekler Federasyonu, SÜDEF), asserted that the Sayfo Genocide mark a historic turning point and forms a core part of the identity of the Syriac  (Aramean–Assyrian–Chaldean) people. He urged the Turkish state to stop evading responsibility and called on it to officially recognize the genocide committed by the Ottoman Empire in 1915.

Türker highlighted the long-lasting devastation caused by the Sayfo Genocide, particularly the drastic drop in population due to forced migration. “Everyone was pressured to convert during Sayfo,” he said. “Those who changed their religion lost all ties to their Syriac identity.”

He went on to explain that Sayfo led to massive demographic changes in Syriac-populated regions. “Our people once lived across a vast area in eastern and southeastern Anatolia,” Türker stated. “After Sayfo, many areas were emptied. Some Syriacs were massacred, others were forced to migrate or convert. In many places, Syriacs are no longer even remembered. This is why Sayfo has become an issue of identity for Syriac people.”

Türker added that the Syriac community in Turkey has yet to fully recover from the trauma. He cited continued systemic marginalization in several areas including Adıyaman, Urhoy (Urfa), Malatya, Elâzığ, Garzan, Siirt, and Beşiri. “Even in the 1940s during World War II, many fled under the pretext of forced conscription,” he said. “At that time, a discriminatory law known as the Wealth Tax was passed, targeting non-Muslims and stripping the Syriac community of its assets.”

Having participated in numerous studies both in Turkey and abroad, Türker emphasized his ongoing efforts to raise awareness about Sayfo. “We’ve organized protests across European cities, held conferences, and lobbied parliaments to push for formal recognition of Sayfo as genocide,” he said, underscoring the importance of international solidarity in preserving the memory and truth of the Syriac (Aramean–Assyrian–Chaldean) people.