Mosul, Iraq -- In implementation of the Yazidi Survivors Law No. 8 of 2021, Iraq's Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs has announced the allocation of land to 262 Yezidi women who survived captivity under the Islamic State (ISIS) terrorist organization in Nineveh Province.
(AINA) -- The tragic death of Patriarch Eshai Shimun on November 6, 1975, remains a sombre and defining moment in the history of the Assyrian people. A leader devoted to preserving Assyrian heritage, faith, and identity, he had dedicated decades to guiding his Church and community through difficult times.
Baghdad -- On the international day dedicated to honoring the victims of genocide, the International Yazidi Foundation for Combating Genocide renewed attention to the suffering of Yazidis in Iraq, stressing that "the wounds of genocide remain open, despite more than a decade having passed since the crime committed against them in Shigur (Sengal / Sinjar) in 2014.
Södertälje, Sweden -- Despite decades of migration by Assyrians from Beth Nahrin (Mesopotamia) to Europe, young members of the community continue to hold firmly to the customs and traditions passed down by their ancestors. In 2025, the marriage rate in the Swedish city of Södertälje increased, as many young Assyrians chose to marry in their early twenties.
Simmele, North Iraq -- In a step reflecting loyalty to the national sacrifices of the Assyrian people and the unity of their youth in Beth Nahrin (Mesopotamia) and the diaspora, the Chaldo-Assyrian Students and Youth Union (Khoyada) installed a protective fence at the site of the Simmele Massacre.
(AINA) -- For three decades the Assyrian International News Agency (AINA) has served as one of the most influential and authoritative voices documenting the life, heritage, and challenges of Assyrians and their Syriac-speaking Churches, both in the homeland and the diaspora. AINA is a privately funded, independent news agency founded by Peter Pnuel BetBasoo and Firas Jatou in 1995.
Cemeteries are sacred spaces of peace and dignity -- places meant to preserve and honor a human being after death. Yet the recurring violations against and desecrations of Christian graves in various parts of Iraq -- from Mosul to Najaf and even Armota in the Kurdistan Region -- have reopened a deep wound regarding the status of Christians, their rights, and the level of social tolerance toward...
Metin Rhawi is a Swedish-Assyrian political and human rights advocate committed to advancing democracy, coexistence, and justice for persecuted minorities in the Middle East. As a leading representative of the European Syriac Union, he has long worked on international advocacy for Assyrian Christians and other vulnerable communities.
Recently, an Assyrian cemetery was desecrated in Harmota, a village in Koya District, Iraqi Kurdistan, with headstones smashed and graves broken into. So far nothing is known as who the perpetrators might be. Following the incident, the Chaldean Patriarchate issued a statement strongly condemning the sacrilegious act against Iraqi Christians.
Anitli, a charming Assyrian heritage village located about 30 kilometers from Midyat in Turkey's southern Mardin Province, has been named one of the United Nations World Tourism Organization's (UNWTO) "Best Tourism Villages 2025.
Armota, Iraq -- The town of Armota, a predominantly Assyrian community in the Koy Sanjaq (Koya) district of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI), has been targeted by yet another assault on its historical and religious heritage.
In the heart of North and East Syria's Jazira Canton (Cizîrê), on the main street of Al-Hasakah (Hesekê), there is a small shop where the moment you step inside the scent of the past wraps around you. Shelves, walls and even the floor are crowded with hundreds of objects. Kurdish kilims sit beside Armenian copper trays. Arab pottery stands next to Yazidi symbols.
(AINA) -- For three decades the Assyrian International News Agency (AINA) has served as one of the most influential and authoritative voices documenting the life, heritage, and challenges of Assyrians and their Syriac-speaking Churches, both in the homeland and the diaspora. AINA is a privately funded, independent news agency founded by Peter Pnuel BetBasoo and Firas Jatou in 1995.
(AINA) -- The recent decision by the Democratic Autonomous Administration of the Region of North and East Syria (DAARNES) to officially incorporate the Assyrian language into its website marks a significant milestone for cultural representation, linguistic rights, and digital inclusion.
(AINA) -- The Assyrian Arts Institute (AAI) is an organization founded by Nora Betyousef Lacey in 2017 and claims to support Assyrian arts. AAI has sponsored a few events since its founding, including an Assyrian women's choir.
(AINA) -- On July 12 Iraqi president Abdul Latif Rashid repealed the decree recognizing the appointment of Cardinal Louis Raphael Sako as head of the Chaldean Catholic Church and which appointed him to the office of the waqf (وقف), the endowment which oversees all church property. The details of the events leading up to this action are exhaustively covered in this report by MEMRI.
(AINA) -- The tragic death of Patriarch Eshai Shimun on November 6, 1975, remains a sombre and defining moment in the history of the Assyrian people. A leader devoted to preserving Assyrian heritage, faith, and identity, he had dedicated decades to guiding his Church and community through difficult times.
(AINA) -- The recent completion of Dr. Sabro Bengaro's doctoral dissertation, Germany's Islamic Strategy During the First World War and the Impact of the Jihad Declaration on the Assyrian Genocide of 1915, marks a significant milestone for both Assyrian scholarship and the global pursuit of recognition for the Seyfo genocide.
In the heart of North and East Syria's Jazira Canton (Cizîrê), on the main street of Al-Hasakah (Hesekê), there is a small shop where the moment you step inside the scent of the past wraps around you. Shelves, walls and even the floor are crowded with hundreds of objects. Kurdish kilims sit beside Armenian copper trays. Arab pottery stands next to Yazidi symbols.
We think of ancient civilisations as operating very differently from the way our economy works today. Yet the Bronze Age Assyrians living in Mesopotamia, around 4,000 to 3,000 years ago, began the basis of modern capitalism, in a region spanning most of modern-day Iraq, eastern Syria and southeastern Turkey. The Assyrian empire was the root of what many scholars would now call "the West".