{"id":209,"date":"2005-02-28T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2005-02-28T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":""},"modified":"2010-10-01T20:26:49","modified_gmt":"2010-10-01T20:26:49","slug":"assyrians-seek-election-redress","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ado-world.com\/en\/assyrians-seek-election-redress\/","title":{"rendered":"ASSYRIANS SEEK ELECTION REDRESS"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><P class=MsoNormal style=\"MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt\"><SPAN lang=EN-AU style=\"COLOR: black\"><FONT face=verdana>LOCAL Assyrians joined 200 people in a demonstration outside the American Consulate and State Parliament on Monday.<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = \"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office\" \/><o:p><\/o:p><\/FONT><\/SPAN><\/P><br \/>\n<P class=MsoNormal style=\"MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt\"><SPAN lang=EN-AU style=\"COLOR: black\"><FONT face=verdana>&nbsp;<o:p><\/o:p><\/FONT><\/SPAN><\/P><br \/>\n<P class=MsoNormal style=\"MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt\"><FONT face=verdana><SPAN lang=EN-AU style=\"COLOR: black; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt\">Secretary of the Assyrian Universal Alliance?s Australia Chapter, Hermiz Shahen of <\/SPAN><?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = \"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags\" \/><st1:place><st1:PlaceName><SPAN lang=EN-AU style=\"COLOR: black; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt\">Bossley<\/SPAN><\/st1:PlaceName><SPAN lang=EN-AU style=\"COLOR: black; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt\"> <\/SPAN><st1:PlaceType><SPAN lang=EN-AU style=\"COLOR: black; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt\">Park<\/SPAN><\/st1:PlaceType><\/st1:place><SPAN lang=EN-AU style=\"COLOR: black; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt\">, said the alliance is horrified of news their countrymen have were prevented by Kurdish forces from voting in the Iraqi election.<o:p><\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/FONT><\/P><br \/>\n<P class=MsoNormal style=\"MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt\"><SPAN lang=EN-AU style=\"COLOR: black; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt\"><BR><FONT face=verdana>The alliance has set up a petition urging the Federal Government to call on the Iraqi Government to designate a geographic `Protected Administrative Area&#8217; for the Christian Assyrians, Chaldeans, Syriacs and Mandeans in <\/FONT><\/SPAN><st1:country-region><st1:place><SPAN lang=EN-AU style=\"COLOR: black; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt\"><FONT face=verdana>Iraq<\/FONT><\/SPAN><\/st1:place><\/st1:country-region><FONT face=verdana><SPAN lang=EN-AU style=\"COLOR: black; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt\">.<BR><SPAN style=\"mso-spacerun: yes\">&nbsp;<\/SPAN><BR>Many local Assyrians jumped at their first chance to vote in the transitional national assembly out-of-country election in <\/SPAN><st1:City><st1:place><SPAN lang=EN-AU style=\"COLOR: black; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt\">Fairfield<\/SPAN><\/st1:place><\/st1:City><SPAN lang=EN-AU style=\"COLOR: black; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt\"> on January 16.<o:p><\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/FONT><\/P><br \/>\n<P class=MsoNormal style=\"MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt\"><SPAN lang=EN-AU style=\"COLOR: black; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt\"><BR><FONT face=verdana>Exiles were voting for 275 members to be elected to the National Parliament and officers elected to the National Parliament and officers elected to the district councils in the 18 provinces of Iraq.<o:p><\/o:p><\/FONT><\/SPAN><\/P><br \/>\n<P class=MsoNormal style=\"MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt\"><SPAN lang=EN-AU style=\"COLOR: black; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt\"><BR><FONT face=verdana>In <\/FONT><\/SPAN><FONT face=verdana><st1:country-region><st1:place><SPAN lang=EN-AU style=\"COLOR: black; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt\">Australia<\/SPAN><\/st1:place><\/st1:country-region><SPAN lang=EN-AU style=\"COLOR: black; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt\"> and <\/SPAN><st1:country-region><st1:place><SPAN lang=EN-AU style=\"COLOR: black; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt\">New Zealand<\/SPAN><\/st1:place><\/st1:country-region><SPAN lang=EN-AU style=\"COLOR: black; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt\">, the Assyrian Democratic Movement, the leading party of the Alrafidayne National List, is leading the results.<o:p><\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/FONT><\/P><br \/>\n<P class=MsoNormal style=\"MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt\"><SPAN lang=EN-AU style=\"COLOR: black\"><FONT face=verdana>&nbsp;<o:p><\/o:p><\/FONT><\/SPAN><\/P><br \/>\n<P class=MsoNormal style=\"MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt\"><SPAN lang=EN-AU style=\"COLOR: black; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt\"><FONT face=verdana>But Mr Shahen is fearing the worst.<o:p><\/o:p><\/FONT><\/SPAN><\/P><br \/>\n<P class=MsoNormal style=\"MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt\"><SPAN lang=EN-AU style=\"COLOR: black\"><o:p><FONT face=verdana>&nbsp;<\/FONT><\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/P><br \/>\n<P class=MsoNormal style=\"MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt\"><FONT face=verdana><SPAN lang=EN-AU style=\"COLOR: black; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt\">He said the Iraqi Government has made no attempt to acknowledge, investigate, or punish officials in the north (a Kurdish controlled region) and in around <\/SPAN><st1:City><st1:place><SPAN lang=EN-AU style=\"COLOR: black; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt\">Baghdad<\/SPAN><\/st1:place><\/st1:City><SPAN lang=EN-AU style=\"COLOR: black; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt\"> and <\/SPAN><st1:City><st1:place><SPAN lang=EN-AU style=\"COLOR: black; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt\">Mosul<\/SPAN><\/st1:place><\/st1:City><\/FONT><SPAN lang=EN-AU style=\"COLOR: black; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt\"><FONT face=verdana>, for preventing Christians from voting. <BR style=\"mso-special-character: line-break\"><BR style=\"mso-special-character: line-break\"><o:p><\/o:p><\/FONT><\/SPAN><\/P><br \/>\n<P class=MsoNormal style=\"MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt\"><SPAN lang=EN-AU style=\"COLOR: black; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt\"><FONT face=verdana>&#8220;The Kurds have the upper hands out of a population of about 4 million people,&#8221; Mr Shahen said. &#8220;About 2.1 million {are reported to have} have voted, which no civil society can believe. &#8220; <o:p><\/o:p><\/FONT><\/SPAN><\/P><br \/>\n<P class=MsoNormal style=\"MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt\"><SPAN lang=EN-AU style=\"COLOR: black; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt\"><o:p><FONT face=verdana>&nbsp;<\/FONT><\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/P><br \/>\n<P class=MsoNormal style=\"MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt\"><SPAN lang=EN-AU style=\"COLOR: black; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt\"><FONT face=verdana>We have information that they have manipulated their votes just to raise up their numbers. ?In the meantime, they have prevented the voting boxes and staff from reaching to the Assyrian towns and villages.&#8221;<o:p><\/o:p><\/FONT><\/SPAN><\/P><br \/>\n<P class=MsoNormal style=\"MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt\"><SPAN lang=EN-AU style=\"COLOR: black; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt\"><BR><FONT face=verdana>The alliance has appealed to world governments to restore voting rights to Assyrians, Chaldeans, Syriacs and Yazidis. ?Such a status quo is unacceptable and the Assyrian community in <\/FONT><\/SPAN><FONT face=verdana><st1:country-region><st1:place><SPAN lang=EN-AU style=\"COLOR: black; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt\">Australia<\/SPAN><\/st1:place><\/st1:country-region><SPAN lang=EN-AU style=\"COLOR: black; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt\">, demands that this injustice be rectified as soon as possible,&#8221; he said. &#8220;Without representation, Assyrians will not be able to fight for their rights under <\/SPAN><st1:country-region><st1:place><SPAN lang=EN-AU style=\"COLOR: black; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt\">Iraq<\/SPAN><\/st1:place><\/st1:country-region><SPAN lang=EN-AU style=\"COLOR: black; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt\">&#8216;s new constitution.&#8221;<o:p><\/o:p><\/SPAN><\/FONT><\/P><br \/>\n<P class=MsoNormal style=\"MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt\"><SPAN lang=EN-AU style=\"COLOR: black; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt\"><BR><FONT face=verdana>Federal MP for Prospect, Chris Bowen, will table the petition in Parliament.<\/FONT><\/SPAN><\/P><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>LOCAL Assyrians joined 200 people in a demonstration outside the American Consulate and State Parliament on Monday. &nbsp; Secretary of the Assyrian Universal Alliance?s Australia Chapter, Hermiz Shahen of Bossley Park, said the alliance is horrified of news their countrymen have were prevented by Kurdish forces from voting in the Iraqi election. The alliance has &hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-209","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","","category-assyrian-news"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ado-world.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/209","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ado-world.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ado-world.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ado-world.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ado-world.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=209"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/ado-world.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/209\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ado-world.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=209"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ado-world.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=209"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ado-world.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=209"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}