FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tehran – 28 December, 2013
The Assyrian Universal Alliance (AUA) strongly condemns the attacks in the Dora district of Baghdad that claimed the lives of several Assyrians who were leaving church after celebrating Christmas mass. We extend our deepest condolences to the victims’ families and our nation.
We call upon our people in the Middle East to unite under one leadership to save and protect our future in the Middle East. The Christian Assyrians of Iraq and Syria have suffered the most in the region due to their religious beliefs which they have followed since the first century A.D. Our people have been the victims of genocide, forced migrations, Arabization and now the fundamentalist’s master plan to force the Christians out of the Middle East. We call upon all Assyrians around the world to help our people to defend themselves on our ancestral lands.
It is the responsibility of the Middle East governments to protect the indigenous people of their countries. As such, we demand that the government of Iraq find and bring to justice the murderers who perpetrated this heinous act against unarmed men, women and children on a religious holy day. We ask that the governments of Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Iran, Turkey and Jordan in coordination with the United Nations call a regional conference to review the current conditions and the future security of Assyrians in the region.
We call upon all human rights and indigenous peoples’ rights organizations, political parties and caring people to join the AUA’s efforts in organizing an international conference to establish a self-governed province for Assyrians on their ancestral lands in the Middle East.
Assyrian Universal Alliance