IRAQ

BAGHDAD — In an unprecedented move, Iraq’s Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) has excluded Chaldean-Syriac-Assyrian candidates from the parliamentary track, igniting widespread debate over disqualification criteria and its implications on minorities’ representation.  The decision affected Issam Behnam Matti, the Chaldean-Syriac-Assyrian candidate representing the Christian quota in Nineveh Governorate. Matti Yakub, district mayor…

BAGHDAD — In a concerted effort to strengthen cooperation among Surayto women engaged in social and political affairs, a delegation from the Surayto Women’s Council paid a formal visit to former Iraqi Member of Parliament and President of the Iraqi Women’s Network, Ms. Hanaa Edwar, at her office in the…

ARBA’ILO, Kurdistan Region of Iraq — In a solemn gathering, churches, political groups and local institutions across Iraq yesterday marked the 92nd anniversary of the Simele Massacre. The 1933 Simele Massacre saw thousands of Chaldean–Syriac–Assyrian civilians slaughtered by the Iraqi Forces. This year’s commemoration, known as Chaldean–Syriac–Assyrian Martyrs Day, reinforced messages of…

BAGHDAD — On the 11th anniversary of the mass displacement of Christians from Mosul and the towns of Nineveh Plains in the wake of the invasion by the Islamic State (ISIS), Chaldean Patriarch Mar Louis Raphael Sako reflected on the 2014 tragedy, describing it as “a back-breaking event” for Iraq’s…

ANKAWA, Kurdistan Region of Iraq — On Thursday, 7 August 2025, the Chaldean–Syriac–Assyrian people commemorate the solemn anniversary of the Simele Massacre — an atrocity committed by Iraqi Army in 1933 which claimed the lives of thousands and forced tens of thousands to flee, many of whom sought refuge in…

BETH NAHRIN — In a statement commemorating the 92nd anniversary of the 1933 Simele Massacre and the 11th anniversary of the Islamic State’s (ISIS) invasion of Nineveh Plains, the Bethnahrin National Council (Mawtbo Umthoyo d’Bethnahrin, MUB) reaffirmed its commitment to the national struggle and called for greater unity among the…

BETH NAHRIN — As the Chaldean–Syriac–Assyrian people around the world prepare to mark the 92nd anniversary of the Simele Massacre on 7 August, the Assyrian Democratic Movement (Zowaa) issued a statement renewing calls for justice, national recognition, and protection of their historic rights in Iraq and Syria. The statement commemorates…

BETH NAHRIN — Local and international commemorations and condemnations continue on the 11th anniversary of the 2014 Yezidi Genocide in Shigur (Şengal / Sinjar), northern Iraq. The Beth Nahrain Organization for Women (BNOW) in Iraq emphasized that the genocide perpetrated by the Islamic State (ISIS) remains one of the most…

BAGHDAD — On 4 August 2025, Chaldean Patriarch Mar Louis Raphael Sako welcomed Yazda Foundation Executive Director Natia Navrouzov and her accompanying delegation for a meeting focused on the plight of Iraq’s minorities and their future. The visit included a screening of a film depicting the 2014 Yazidi tragedy in…

HABBANIYAH, Iraq — The Chaldean–Syriac–Assyrian community mourned the passing of one of its most celebrated sports figures as renowned Iraqi international footballer Shidrak Yousif passed away on 5 August 2025, at the age of 81, following a prolonged illness.  Yousif was widely regarded as a symbol of pride for a…