SAYFO

By Leah Miksi-Sahdo — This haunting question echoed deeply in the hearts of everyone who watched Souls in Transit. Long after the credits rolled, the words lingered—not as a mere question, but as a command for the descendants of Sayfo Genocide survivors. Their roots stretch deep into a history soaked in…

In the heart of Kharput, a historic city in eastern Turkey, Ashur Yousef was born in 1858, destined to become an enduring symbol of the Assyrian struggle for freedom and dignity. Known as the “Sheikh of Assyrian Journalism” and its first martyr in modern history, Ashur was more than a…

SPRINGFIELD (IL), United States — The state of Illinois has officially included the 1915 Sayfo Genocide—committed by Turks and Kurds against the Syriacs (Arameans–Assyrians–Chaldeans), Armenians, and Greeks during the final years of the Ottoman Empire —in its high school curriculum for 2025-2026 as part of a dedicated broader instructional unit on…

ATHENS — On 13–14 June, an international conference titled 1915–2025: One Hundred and Ten Years After the Genocide convened in Athens. Organized by the Greek Ministry of Education, its General Secretariat for Religious Affairs, the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, and the Assyrian Union of Greece, the conference brought together historians…

MEDYAD (MIDYAT), Tur Abdin — On Sunday, the Federation of Syriac Associations in Turkey (Süryani Dernekler Federasyonu, SÜDEF), organized a memorial evening at its Medyad (Midyat) headquarters, in Tur Abdin to commemorate the Sayfo Genocide of 1915, during which the Syriac people were subjected to mass atrocities by the Ottoman…

TEANECK, New Jersey — The documentary film Souls in Transit, which sheds light on the 1915 Sayfo Genocide committed against the Syriac (Aramean–Assyrian–Chaldean) people by the Ottoman Empire, was screened in a local cinema in Teaneck, New Jersey, drawing an emotional response from attendees. The film’s director, Aida Schlaepfer, attended…

NICOSIA, Cyprus — Yesterday, 19 June, the Parliament of the Republic of Cyprus unanimously recognized 19 May as Pontic Greek Remembrance Day. The official designation comes after the introduction of a motion by MP Charalambos Theopemptou (Movement of Ecologists – Citizens’ Cooperation, KOSP) calling for institutional recognition of the genocide…

SIEBNEN, Switzerland — On the solemn occasion of the 110th anniversary of the Sayfo Genocide, during which approximately 1.5 million Armenians, Syriacs (Arameans–Assyrians–Chaldeans), and Greeks were massacred at the hands of the Ottoman Empire and its allies, a memorial event was held at the Catholic Church in Siebnen, Switzerland. The…

LATAKIA, Syria — The Syriac Orthodox Church in Latakia solemnly marked the 110th anniversary of the Sayfo Genocide, a systematic campaign of mass killings perpetrated by the Ottoman Empire against the Syriac (Aramean–Assyrian–Chaldean) people and other Christian communities during World War I. A Divine Liturgy was celebrated at the Greek…

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…