Zowaa.org – Exclusive
The Secretary General of our Assyrian Democratic Movement, Yaqooh Gorgees , stated in a post on his personal Facebook account:
“There are parties backed by armed groups that are working relentlessly to destabilize civil peace in the Nineveh Plain. From time to time, we witness attempts at demographic change in the areas of our Chaldean Syriac Assyrian people.”
He added:
“The pretext of granting land plots for construction in the so-called ‘place of origin’ is nothing but a false claim without any real basis. We will not allow the armed groups, nor those empowered by them, to seize what little remains of our people’s land after it was stolen and occupied during previous stages and past periods.”
He went on to say:
“We have long demanded and worked diligently for the establishment of new administrative units and municipal departments in parts of the Nineveh Plain, so that members of other communities could obtain land plots for housing in their own areas. Yet they have consistently refused this and continue to await opportunities to encroach upon the lands of Baghdeda, Bartella, Karamlesh, Alqosh, Tel Kaif, and other areas belonging to our people.”
The Secretary General further added:
“Such actions open the door to conflicts and undermine civil peace among the communities coexisting in the region. Moreover, Article 125 of the Iraqi Constitution is clear and explicit in granting all groups their administrative, political, cultural, and educational rights within their respective regions. The Constitution also prohibits ownership that leads to demographic change, as occurred in Tel Keppe, Ankawa, and other villages and areas in the Kurdistan Region—and gradually with clear steps in Bartella.”
He affirmed:
“We are all fully aware that land is not merely property, but a symbol of national existence, safeguarding the cultural and civilizational heritage of our people. Any demographic change threatens the societal and cultural identity of future generations. Defending the land is not only a party task or a political responsibility, but a national duty that we all share—individuals, institutions, and the Church alike.”
He concluded:
“The local government in Nineveh and the federal government must move swiftly to establish administrative units in deserving areas and open municipal departments in other parts of the Nineveh Plain. I also call on the federal parliament to legislate the constitutional Article 125. I affirm that our people’s lands are not commodities for electoral bargaining, deceptive propaganda, false appearances, or selfish ambitions. It is also the duty of international and United Nations bodies to monitor the situation and shed light on what is happening to the international community.