In Hasakah, North and East Syria, 1915 Sayfo Genocide victims honored during theatrical performance and candlelight vigil

HASAKAH, North and East Syria — Under a warm June sky, the Syriac Cultural Association hosted a solemn commemoration of the 1915 Sayfo Genocide in Hasakah, North and East Syria, featuring a theatrical performance and a moving candlelight vigil to honor the hundreds of thousands of Syriacs (Arameans–Assyrians–Chaldeans) who were killed by Ottoman forces and their Kurdish allies.

The event, titled Message from a Martyr, took place on Monday evening at the Association’s headquarters in the historic Beth Nahrin district of Hasakah. Representatives from the Bethnahrin National Council (Mawtbo Umthoyo d’Bethnahrin, MUB), clergy, tribal elders, and hundreds of community members attended the memorial. It was sponsored by the Culture Board of the Gozarto (Jazirah) Canton of the Democratic Autonomous Administration of the Region of North and East Syria (DAARNES) and presided over by Syriac Orthodox Archbishop of Gozarto and Euphrates Mor Maurice Amsih.

The hour-long play combined testimony, prayer, and poetry to narrate a poignant story of loss and resilience. Following the performance, the audience observed a minute of silence at the Sayfo Martyrs’ Monument. The stark memorial stood as a symbol of displacement, cultural erasure, and violence endured by the community.

Opening the ceremony, Ibrahim Adamo, head of the Syriac Cultural Association, called for the preservation of collective memory. “Our people were torn from their villages, their churches razed, and our manuscripts consigned to flames,” he said. “We gather here not only to mourn but to insist that the world recognize these crimes against humanity and join us in seeking justice.”

Participants carried torches in a candlelit procession from the association hall to the monument, placing rows of white candles at its base. The flickering flames illuminated the night, serving as a powerful testament to lives cut short and stories left untold.

Archbishop Amsih exhorted future generations to ensure the Sayfo Genocide is never forgotten. “True remembrance is not passive,” he said. “It is a living act of faith, a pledge that these events will not fade into obscurity.”

Maha Shabo, Co-Chair of the Syriac Union Party (SUP) in Hasakah, described the commemoration as both a cultural and political imperative. “Each year, we renew our promise to survivors and descendants,” she said. “Our goal is twofold: to secure international acknowledgment of Sayfo and press for official recognition from Turkey, which continues to deny these atrocities.”

The Hasakah observance is part of a series of initiatives organized annually by the Syriac Cultural Association to preserve the heritage and collective memory of Syria’s indigenous Christian communities. As the candles burned low and the crowd dispersed, a collective resolve lingered in the air: a commitment to keep history’s flame alive and to pursue justice for the victims of Sayfo.