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.
In a major policy announcement, Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi declared that facilitating the return of Assyrians who fled the country during two decades of conflict is now a "national and government priority."
Assyrian political parties, civic organizations and community groups gathered outside the Duhok Governorate building on Monday to protest what they describe as the continuing seizure of Assyrian-owned lands in Northern Iraq.
The names of the members of Syria's new People's Assembly selected by President Ahmad al-Sharaa under the "President's List" were announced in Damascus earlier today. Among those appointed is Gabriel Moshe Kourieh, an official of the Assyrian Democratic Organization (ADO).
Residents of the Assyrian village of Kashkawa in the Nahla Valley have issued a public appeal calling for immediate intervention after Kurdish settlers have once again cultivated disputed village lands despite court rulings ordering the encroachments to be removed.
Newly appointed Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi visited the Chaldean Patriarchate in Baghdad on 26 May to congratulate the newly elected Patriarch of the Chaldean Catholic Church, Mar Paulos III Nona, following his confirmation by the Holy See and ahead of his official enthronement.
The Assyrian Democratic Movement (ADM) has issued a statement on Saturday condemning the reactivation of a controversial land distribution project and the legalization of informal settlements in the Tel Keppe District, in the Nineveh Plain Region.
There has been a surge of AI-generated music online over the past few months, including AI covers of old songs, entirely new tracks, and even the emergence of Narina Sarkis and Remos Ashuraya, believed to be the first-ever Assyrian AI singers.
The patriarchate of the Chaldean Catholic Church revealed in a letter made public on 22 February that church property in the diocese of Urmia in western Iran had been sold illegally by a deacon serving as the diocesan procurator.
The Assyria Post
The Assyria Post
The Assyria Post
