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In his post, Mr. Shirwani included a photo of Mr. Dekelaita encircled in a red circle with a red slash through Mr. Dekelaita. In addition, , Mr. Shirwani calls Mr. Dekelaita a "liar." Apparently, in this instance, Mr. Shirwani's ire was raised by an anonymous editorial written in the online platform Nineveh News on 2/15/26 which for an unknown reason Mr. Shirwani attributed to Mr. Dekelaita.
The editorial itself is interesting in that it is a fairly mild criticism of the KRG's decades long mistreatment of Assyrian Christians and a call, in general, for greater pluralism and rights for the betterment of all the communities in northern Iraq. The editorial highlights failures of the KRG to commit to supporting implementation of Article 125 of the Iraqi constitution for administrative rights in the Nineveh Plain and elsewhere as well as long standing Assyrian grievances regarding land expropriation, security concerns, linguistic and cultural discrimination, and economic marginalization. Normal and mainstream fare for the Assyrian community. The recent impetus for the grievances and the editorial followed the visit by the KRG leader Mr. Rebar Ahmed to Detroit and Washington DC during which recycled and regurgitated rhetoric regarding the treatment of Assyrian Christians was still not accompanied by any meaningful or concrete plan to implement reforms.
Related: Timeline of ISIS in Iraq
Related: Attacks on Assyrians in Syria By ISIS and Other Muslim Groups
Mr. Dasko is the Director of Outreach and Community Affairs at the KRG Representative office in Washington DC. These recent threats are commonplace and consistent with how the KRG treats journalists and critics in Iraq, but are a very dangerous escalation in terms of now targeting American citizens in the US. Still more, such threats are not to be taken lightly as evidenced by numerous US and international agencies documenting many KDP attacks against critics and journalists often at the hands of the state internal security services, the Asayish.
According to the US State Department Country Reports from 2024, "In the Iraqi Kurdish Region, the Kurdistan Regional Government, including its affiliated Asayish internal security service...allegedly committed abuses for which accountability was inconsistent" including detaining and attacking journalists such as Aveen Atta 8/19/24, Shakar Satta 5/9/24 as well as Islam Kashani whose detention was noted in the 2023 report.
Freedom House also lists various cases, concluding that " whistleblowers, investigators, journalists ... face arrests, defamation charges, violence, intimidation, and slander" and that the Asayish are "... ready to repress dissidents..." in a general " climate of fear."
Amnesty International in its 2009 report stated " Journalists who have written articles critical of corruption within the KDP and PUK have been harassed... some women were reported to have been burned to disguise .. killing,,"
The Gulf Centre for Human Rights (GCHR) likewise noted arrests of journalists Ahmed Shamki 6/26/24 and Sirwan Hassan in August 2024. Waria Abdulkhlaleq was stabbed 21 times and pistol whipped in November 2024. Journalist Wedat Hussein Ali was kidnapped 8/13/16 was tortured and later died as a result. The GCHR concluded " like many assassinations of journalists and other activists, the perpetrators have yet to be apprehended and brought to justice."
Whereas the KRG's attacks against critics and journalists in Iraq is standard operating procedure, Mr. Shirwani's latest threat against and slander of Mr. Dekelaita, an Assyrian American citizen, is unprecedented. Mr. Shirwani is registered in the US in accordance with the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) through the US Department of Justice (DOJ) and his presence in the US is subject to DOJ approval.
For Assyrians in Diaspora, Mr Shirwani's threats and insults are not only egregious but also defamatory. Since the KRG established itself, the Assyrian population in Iraq has decreased by 80-90%. On March 17, 2016, Secretary of State John Kerry declared that ISIS had committed genocide against Assyrians, Yezidis, and other minorities. Many Assyrian Christians believe the KRG was complicit in allowing ISIS to enter Assyrian villages after forcibly disarming the population days before the attacks (AINA 2014-08-14). And, yet, in all this time, the Iraqi government and the KRG have failed to implement any programs or legislation such as Article 125 that is already part of the Iraqi Constitution to help Assyrian Christians resettle and rebuild.
Mr. DeKelaita merely pointed out that land expropriation and threats and attacks continue, security remains nonexistent, schools are neglected, and discrimination in education, government, and business still runs rampant as official policy. In response, Mr Shirwani the official representative of the KRG government in the US responded with threats and slander against an Assyrian American leader looking for progress and solutions for his persecuted community .
Following an internationally recognized genocide, there is a legal and moral obligation to assist victim communities to recover and reestablish themselves. Instead, the KRG has increased its attacks. As one activist asked " so, where is the lie in the editorial and where is Mr Shirwani's evidence to counter the obvious facts on the ground?" Ultimately, even a respectful and genuine call for dignity and justice for Assyrians appears to be an affront to those in the KRG who share Mr Shirwani's racist and resentful ideology.
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