In a rare ruling welcomed by Assyrian groups, a court in Northern Iraq has sentenced the perpetrator of the 2025 Akitu attack in Nohadra to life in prison, marking an unusual instance of accountability for violence targeting Assyrians.
The Erbil Criminal Court in Northern Iraq has issued a life imprisonment sentence against Luay Abdul Rahim Ramadan, a Syrian Kurd, after convicting him of carrying out an axe attack on the Assyrian New Year (Akitu) procession on 1 April 2025 in Nohadra (Duhok). The attack left two Assyrians, a woman and a young man, seriously injured.
The attack occurred in broad daylight during official Akitu festivities attended by families and youth, drawing widespread condemnation from Assyrian political parties, civil society groups, and human rights organizations at the time.
Assyrian groups welcomed the sentence, with the Assyrian Democratic Movement (ADM) describing the ruling as “justice served and a clear rejection of terrorism.” Community figures noted that the verdict sends an important signal amid growing concerns over incitement and hate speech targeting Assyrians in the Kurdish-run region.
The ruling remains a rare instance of accountability in the region, where many attacks against Assyrians have historically gone unpunished. Several high-profile cases, including the 1993 assassination of Assyrian politician Francis Shabo, remain unresolved, with perpetrators never brought to justice.
In addition, dozens of court rulings in favor of Assyrian landowners, particularly in cases involving the illegal seizure of Assyrian lands, have yet to be implemented, contributing to deep mistrust in the rule of law among Assyrians.
Assyrian villages along the Khabur River in Syria’s northeast, including the town of Tell Tamer, are effectively held hostage by the Kurdish YPG militia amid ongoing fighting with the Syrian army.
As tensions persist in Syria’s Gozarto region, leading Assyrian political organizations have warned against further escalation, urging dialogue and the protection of civilian areas amid fighting between Kurdish PYD forces and the Syrian government.
Military developments across the Gozarto region have raised concern among Assyrians, as Syrian army advances roll back Kurdish control. While fears persist, community leaders report no casualties so far and continued efforts to keep Assyrian areas out of the fighting.
Saleh Mohammad Muslim, a senior PYD Kurdish leader who has controlled northeastern Syria since 2011, warned that Damascus demanding control of the region would plunge Syria into chaos and civil war.
A statement by a Swedish member of the European Parliament supporting the Kurdish YPG militia has drawn scrutiny after he claimed Syrian government forces were attacking Christians in Aleppo, a claim not supported by available reporting.
Assyrian villages along the Khabur River in Syria’s northeast, including the town of Tell Tamer, are effectively held hostage by the Kurdish YPG militia amid ongoing fighting with the Syrian army.
A ceremony to lay the foundation stone for a Simele massacre memorial was overshadowed by controversial remarks from a Kurdish official and reports of imminent KRG plans to grab Assyrian land in the nearby village of Bakhtme.
The Assyria Post
The Assyria Post
The Assyria Post
