TURKEY

ANKARA — An unknown person threw chairs at Alevi worshippers in the Shahmardan prayer house in the Mamak neighborhood in Ankara, Turkey. Local media outlets reported that three other Alevi places of worship in Ankara were subjected to similar attacks. No one was reported injured. Alevi officials denounced the attacks,…

ŞIRNAK, Turkey — Syriac Member of Turkish Parliament for Mardin Tuma Çelik submitted a question to Turkish Minister of Agriculture and Forestry Vahit Kirişci on the illegal logging in areas of the Syriac (Aramean–Assyrian–Chaldean) people in the village of Şırnak. “Some media outlets reported that trees were cut down in…

LAUSANNE, Switzerland — On the 99th anniversary of the Treaty of Lausanne, signed in the wake of World War I, a lecture on the history and repercussions of the treaty was held in Lausanne, Switzerland. Participating in the lecture event was a delegation from the Bethnahrin National Council (Mawtbo Umthoyo…

BERLIN — The German government has warned Turkey against launching a new military operation in northern Syria, reported Deutsche Welle. A German Foreign Ministry spokesman stated the following on Wednesday: “In our view, such an act would not only aggravate the already difficult situation for the people there, but also…

By Denho Bar Mourad-Özmen, Journalist and Moderator at Suroyo TV  Despite the fact that the majority of the Mhalmoye are Muslims today, they still follow many of the traditions of their Christian ancestors. Likewise, names of places, ancient churches, monasteries, wells, and caves still bear witness to Christian tradition through…

MIDYAT, Turkey — In recent comments, Syriac activist and Co-Chair of the People’s Democratic Party (Halkların Demokratik Partisi, HDP) in Midyat Barbara Akay stated that the Turkish government prevents the Syriac (Aramean–Assyrian–Chaldean) people from visiting their homeland in Turkey, especially after the abduction and murder of the Syriac—Chaldean Diril family.…

ANKARA — International human rights watchdog Freedom House indicated that Turkey is one of the most repressive countries in the world in its most recent report on international repression. Turkey witnessed the worst arrest campaign in its history against political opponents of the government, especially those groups and individuals opposed…

WASHINGTON, D.C. — By a vote of 244-179, the U.S. House of Representatives approved an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that limits the transfer or sale of F-16s or F-16 upgrade kits to Turkey. The amendment throws a hurdle in front of U.S. President Biden’s plans to…

MIDYAT, Turkey — This week, the Federation of Syriac Associations in Turkey (Süryani Dernekler Federasyonu, SÜDEF) organized a lecture on the Syriac civilization and heritage. The lecture was delivered by Syriac academic Abdul Masih al-Saadi at the SÜDEF headquarters in Midyat in Tur Abdin, a historically Syriac (Aramean–Assyrian–Chaldean) region in…

NEHNA is a new dynamic online platform for Arabic-speaking Christians from southeastern Turkey. This centuries-old community of Orthodox Christians is not very well known. Mostly centered in Antioch (Antakya) and its environs, this centuries-old Orthodox Christian community goes by different names: Antioch Orthodox, Greek Orthodox of Antakya, Arabic-speaking Greek Orthodox,…