The Assyrian Democratic Organization
AINA) — The Liberal Party and The Liberal Youth Federation in Sweden organized a seminar on the Assyrian genocide on the 18th February, which attracted closer to 100 persons at Telge Forum in the “Assyrian” city of S?dert?lje. This is a step in the work of raising the Seyfo issue to the political agenda in Sweden. The aim is that Sweden recognize the Assyrian genocide. In that case, it will be the third time’s a charm. Because the Swedish parliament, called Riksdagen, has on two earlier occassions voted down the demand of recognizing the Assyrian genocide.
In Europe there is a big consciousness about the Holocoust, because it happened in Europe and is present in our history. About the genocide on the Assyrians the knowledge is neglible small. Before Hitler started the extermination of Europe’s Jews he motivated himself with that nobody remembered the genocide on the christians during the First World War anymore. It was executed in the Ottoman Empire, in the mountain regions and plains of today’s eastern Turkey. After the First World War’s peace conferences and the new republic Turkey’s foundation the Seyfo question was consigned to oblivion.
The missionary, Jakob Kunsler, reported already in March 1915 from Urfa how the Assyrians were obliterated with knifes in order to save ammunition. Almost 750 000 Assyrian lives were deprived during the First World War organized by the young Turkish movement of today’s Turkey. Seyfo was an obliteration in comparison with the Holocoust when it comes to its character, although not to its industrial execution bearing in mind that it happened 30 years before the gas chambers. However, the death marchs and the ruthless obductions and plundering of women were as frequent and horrible as during the Holoqoust. Today Turkey is negotiating for its entrance to the European fellowship. A Turkey who’s founder and national hero Ataturk is the same person who planned the genocide on two million christians in the shadow of the First World War, with the purpose of homogenize the population. The Turkish army was also helped by Kurdish tribes in the killing of the Assyrians. With a natural population development scientists estimate that there should have been around 20 million Assyrians living today. In Turabdin, southeast Turkey, where the biggest part of the genocide was excecuted there is only 2000 Assyrians left. In Turkey the ethnic religious cleansing is by definition completed. It is strange that this has been going on in a country that since the Second World War is belonging to Nato and has signed under most of the international conventions on human rights and that claim itself as a defender of freedom and democracy. A recognition of the Assyrian genocide from Turkey has to precede a recognition from EU. Therefore it is extremely important that the Swedish parliament recognize the genocide. In August last year the Liberal Party admitted a statement to recognize Seyfo. This means that the Seyfo issue is on the Liberal Party’s foreign plicy agenda. Therefore we put up a big hope in rooting the Assyrian genocide in Riksdagen and at the same time take actions that lead to increase the knowledge about Seyfo in the general public.
By Ninos Maraha and Fredrik Malm
Ninos Maraha is a board member of The Liberal Party in S?dert?lje, Sweden.
Fredrik Malm is the President of The Liberal Youth Federation in Sweden.
? 2006, Assyrian International News Agency. All Rights Reserved.
