The Assyria Liberation Party's positionon the actions and inactions of hierarchs of the Eastern Churches and leaders of political movements, members of parliament, and public figures

Pending the Iraqi Parliament's recognition of the 1933 Simmele massacre, the actions and inactions of those present at the stone-laying ceremony for the "Assyrian Martyrs' Monument" in Nohadra, Semmel Region, Assyria, on January 8, 2026, have caused profound and irreparable damage to the memory of the Assyrian people. Responsibility for this lies not only with the political figures present at the ceremony but also with those who remained silent, turned a blind eye and facilitated this abuse, including religious leaders and civil society activists.

The highest spiritual hierarchs are not simply clergymen; you are representatives of the highest spiritual authority, entrusted with the history, language, identity, and conscience of the Assyrian people. While Assyrian identity and language are relegated to the background, while Assyrian lands are represented by the political narratives of other nations, while Assyrian martyrs are honored with Kurdish hymns, while the Halabja martyrs are singled out at the foundation stone laying ceremony in memory of Assyrian martyrs, your heartless silence is not simply a lack of emotional expression – it is a silence that has created a void, a sense of abandonment and helplessness in the souls and hearts of the Assyrian people.

Can one imagine the holy martyr Mar Benyamin Shimun being venerated as a martyr of Kurdistan? It is also unacceptable to equate the Simmele martyrs with the martyrs of other nations. Just as the Halabja martyrs cannot be considered Iraqi or Assyrian martyrs, but you lack the courage to say so. Throughout history, our churches have stood up for the Assyrian language, culture, and people as a whole. Churches and monasteries were refuges for the Assyrian people and the Church proudly bore the crown of martyrdom but today it has chosen silence.

We are forced to admit that today the Assyrian cause is being desecrated by people who have nothing to do with it and who use its identity as a trump card in their dirty games.

People who identify with the Assyrian identity have no right to allow the desecration of the Assyrian name at a ceremony commemorating the martyrdom of the Assyrians. Such an attitude toward history inevitably entails responsibility, for history is not a school subject—it is an executioner who will sooner or later punish its defilers.

Assyrian identity is not an accessory or decoration that can be distorted and altered to please others. Today, the Assyrian people expect clarity, a firm position and uncompromising responsibility from church leaders and political leaders.

The memory of the martyrs is not a matter of ceremony—it is who we are and who we will remain. They did not die for public display, not for political balance, not to legitimize painful historical decisions, not as bargaining chips in the illegal seizure of our lands. They gave their lives in the struggle for the existence of the Assyrian people. Assyria is not a geographical feature adorning the political maps of other nations; Assyria is the salt of our land, the heart of Assyrian civilization.

The Assyria Liberation Party demands:

1. A monument to the Assyrian martyrs must be erected with respect for Assyrian identity and history.

2. A clear, unambiguous, and public statement must be made regarding the violation of the foundations of Assyrian identity that occurred during this ceremony.

3. Church hierarchs and relevant officials must take an uncompromising stance against the politicization and erosion of the foundations of Assyrian identity.

Assyria belongs to the Assyrians. Assyria is strong thanks to its people, its church, and its great history. The Assyrian people have paid a high price for a century of silence from its leaders. Today, silence is not a virtue, but a silent capitulation. Silence will never be an alternative to peaceful coexistence, which is impossible without mutual respect for the rights and freedoms of peoples.

Assyria Liberation Party

January 20, 2026