The Assyrian Democratic Organization
International demonstration in the European district in Brussels
Willy Fautr?, Human Rights Without Frontiers Int.
HRWF Int. (14.02.2005) / Website http://www.hrwf.net – Email: info@hrwf.net – On Monday February 14, 2005 about 500 ChaldoAssyrians and Syriacs from various European countries (Belgium, Germany, Netherlands, Switzerland, France, Sweden, UK, etc.) demonstrated in Brussels to protest against “extremely serious irregularities” which prevented most of their compatriots from taking part in the 30 January elections in the north of Iraq, especially in the governorates of Mosul and Kirkuk. In some towns and villages, election officials and material (ballot boxes, ballot papers and ink) due to come from Kurdish regions never turned up. At other places, they were delivered very late or there was a serious shortage of ballot papers.
The demonstrators marched through the European district along the buildings of the European Commission, the European Council and stopped near the European Parliament where they held a public meeting. On the banderoles, their messages and their appeals were clear:
Elections failed in Nineveh Plains
We want new elections in the Niniveh Plains
Hear our voice, count our votes
Where are democracy, equality and justice?
Their action was supported by Swedish MEP Jonas SJ?STEDT (Nordic Green Left) who addressed the audience and promised his help to have their rights recognized in Iraq and in Turkey.Yezidis, Shabaks and Turkmen also took part in the demonstration.
According to official results, the Assyrian list only collected 36,255 votes and will therefore only get one seat in the 275-member National Assembly although there are almost 1 million ChaldoAssyrians and Syriacs in Iraq. The Turkmen complained about similar irregularities. With only 93,480 registered votes, they will not get more than three seats.
The declaration (n? 15) issued by a delegation of the Independent Electoral Commission of Iraq (IECI) on Monday February 7, who was sent to the area concerned to investigate about the complaints, confirmed the violations of the electoral law and concluded: “the Commission will examine all transgressions hereby mentioned, will separately take measures necessary for each irregularity and will inform the Iraqi opinion of the results of these investigations as quickly as possible”.
The different parties in charge of the organisation and follow-up of the elections, whether they be the Independent Electoral Commission of Iraq (IECI), the two main Kurdish parties, the Interim Iraqi Government or the Coalition Forces, have all denied their responsibility in these irregularities and frauds.
The demonstrators deplored that up to now no satisfactory conclusion to this critical matter had materialised.
