In light of the upcoming country visit to Iraq by the UN Special Rapporteur on Minority Issues the UNPO and Assyrian Universal Alliance have submitted a report on the current human rights situation facing the Assyrians in Northern Iraq, urging the Special Rapporteur to consider visiting the region. The report emphasizes the continuous systemic marginalization, exclusion from political processes, discrimination and underrepresentation which the Assyrians in Iraq have been facing for decades. It indicates that recognition of the Assyrians as an indigenous ethnic group is essential to the protection of their indigenous rights. Moreover, reforms in election law, countering discrimination, land grabbing and religious classification practices as well as the combat of hate speech and crime are vital in the protection of the rights of the Assyrians in Iraq.
The Assyrians are an indigenous ethnic group from ancient Mesopotamia (now the area comprising modern-day Iraq, southeastern Turkey, northwestern Iran, and northeastern Syria). The Assyrians are considered a distinct people due to their unique linguistic, cultural, and historical identity, dating back millennia. The Assyrian community has been living in modern-day Iraq, Syria, Turkey, and Iran. However the lack of formal recognition of their indigenous status in Iraq’s constitution denies the community adequate protections and undermines their political and cultural legitimacy within the Iraqi state.
Furthermore, discriminatory and land grabbing practices continue and difficulties to access public services persists. The Assyrians political participation is also under threat due to existing election laws facilitating political disenfranchisement of the Assyrian people and the repeal of two of the five designated Assyrian seats in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI) parliament. The politicized judiciary obstructs the possibility to effectively challenge these injustices.
The Assyrians in Iraq also face frequent and persistent political and extremist threats, intimidation, hate speech and violence fed by anti-Assyrian sentiment and unresolved historical land disputes.
The UNPO, in collaboration with our member, Assyrian Universal Alliance, has put forward the following recommendations to be considered during the United Nations Special Rapporteur’s country visit to Iraq:
- To visit the Kurdistan region (KRI) and the Nineveh Plain in the Northern part of Iraq are indispensable for acquiring a complete picture of minority rights in Iraq.
- To meet with Assyrian representatives on the ground would be highly recommended in order to adequately assess the Assyrian minority’s situation.
- Urge the Iraqi government to amend election law to ensure that only people with the Assyrian identity can vote for the five seats designated to the Assyrian community in the Iraqi Parliament and the Kurdistan Region Iraqi Parliament, to ensure genuine representation.
- Urge the Iraqi government to counter religious classification practices that harm Assyrians religious rights.
- Condemn land grabbing practices and urge the Iraqi government to oversee cases of land disputes in regional courts.
- Highlight the importance of combating hate speech and crime by resolving ancient land disputes. Overseeing land dispute cases at regional courts, adequate representation of history in education and emphasizing remembrance could be beneficial to this aim.
- Consider a joint allegation letter or a press release with the Special Rapporteur on Indigenous peoples to Urge the Iraqi government to officially and constitutionally recognize the Assyrians as a indigenous peoples rather than solely a religious group. Official recognition of Assyrians as indigenous people of Iraq would protect their historical and cultural rights, ensuring equal political and legal standing.
For more information on the Assyrians in general and the current threats they are facing you can read more here.
