The appeal, addressed to officials of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI), religious leaders, and Assyrian political parties, urged immediate intervention to halt the ongoing encroachments and implement judicial decisions issued in favor of the village's residents.
The statement was issued by the Nohadra branches of the Beth Nahrain Patriotic Union (Huyodo Beth Nahrain Athroyo, HBA), Assyrian Democratic Movement (ZOWAA), and Assyrian Patriotic Party (Atranaya).
The three parties said they were following "with profound concern and regret" the renewed encroachments on the lands of Keshkawa in the Nala area, describing the situation as evidence of the government's continued failure to enforce final judicial rulings issued by the courts of the KRI and other competent judicial authorities.
According to the statement, those rulings "conclusively affirmed the rights of the village's residents and restored ownership of the lands to their rightful owners."
The parties further argued that the continuation of the encroachments despite legally binding court decisions "constitutes a direct challenge to the rule of law and the authority of the judiciary." They added that the situation demonstrates the inability of executive authorities to enforce the law and protect citizens' rights, raising serious concerns about impunity and the failure to implement enforceable judicial decisions.
The parties also strongly condemned what they described as repeated attacks targeting the villages and lands of the Assyrian people, citing recent incidents in Bakhtme and earlier encroachments in Zakho, Sapna, Barwar, Amedi, and Ankawa, in addition to the latest developments in Keshkawa.
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They stressed that these practices "constitute not only an assault on property rights, but also a violation of the principles of justice and the rule of law." According to the statement, the encroachments threaten the historical presence of the Assyrian community and undermine the foundations of coexistence and partnership in both the Kurdistan Region and Iraq.
Reaffirming their commitment to defending the rights of their people through legal and constitutional means, the three parties announced plans to organize a peaceful protest outside the Duhok Governorate building. The demonstration will call for the immediate enforcement of judicial rulings, an end to the violations, and guarantees for the protection of citizens' rights and property in accordance with the law.
In the concluding section of their statement, the parties called on civil society organizations, friendly organizations, members of the community, and all supporters of justice and the rule of law to participate in the planned protest. They said the date of the demonstration would be announced at a later time.
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In their appeal, the residents of Keshkawa said, "At a time when we were awaiting the fulfillment of repeated promises to enforce court rulings issued more than three years ago ordering the removal of the encroachments on our village's lands, we were shocked to discover that the encroachers had once again cultivated those lands."
The residents added that they had informed the relevant authorities, but no action had been taken and they had not received any official response.
In June 2022, the Nohadra Court of Appeal ruled in favor of the village's residents, overturning a previous cassation decision and ordering the encroachers to pay a fine of three million Iraqi dinars. The court also ordered the demolition of an illegally constructed house on the disputed land and directed that the property be returned to the village's original residents.
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