New attacks on Assyrian graves and church highlight pattern of impunity in Kurdish-led Northern Iraq
Two new attacks on Assyrian sites in the KRG, vandalized graves in Armota and a church stoned in Deralok, have renewed concerns over rising hostility and years of impunity for crimes targeting Assyrians.
Nearly 15 Assyrian graves in the village of Armota in the Erbil governorate were vandalized this week, sparking anger and grief among the local Assyrian community.
Dr. Hawjin Slewa, an Assyrian resident and university lecturer, said villagers believe more than one person was involved. “We do not suspect a specific individual, but we believe it was a planned act carried out by a group,” she told 964media, an Iraqi news outlet. “We hope the perpetrators are identified as soon as possible and brought to justice.”
The vandalism was discovered before noon on Dec. 4, 2025, when several Assyrian women visiting the cemetery found multiple graves damaged.
The following day, another anti-Assyrian attack in the KRG came to light, as the Mar Khanana Church of the Assyrian Church of the East was splattered with mud and pelted with stones in the Deralok district of Duhok Province.
These latest desecrations follow a pattern of repeated attacks on Assyrians and Assyrian places in northern Iraq’s Kurdish-ruled region. On 27 October 2017, the cemetery in the village of Enshki (Dohuk) was vandalized. On 10 February 2024, a similar attack targeted the Shaqlawa cemetery in Erbil. In all cases, including the most recent ones, no suspects have been arrested or held accountable, reinforcing the message that attacks on Assyrians are tolerated and perpetrators will not be pursued.
“Ethnic and religious hatred spreading in the KRG”
The Assyrian Democratic Movement (ADM), the main political party representing Assyrians in Iraq, issued a written statement questioning the KRG’s proclaimed commitment to peaceful coexistence.
“All the media fanfare and repetitive slogans about coexistence and brotherhood quickly collapse in the face of the ethnic and religious hatred spreading among some groups within the Region. This hatred did not emerge suddenly; rather, it was nurtured by misguided policies that ignored its deep roots and attempted to beautify reality with artificial images that do not reflect the truth,” the statement read.
The ADM emphasized that the incidents form part of a continuing trend: “These incidents are neither sudden nor isolated, and they have never been dealt with seriously or with genuine accountability. Instead, they have recurred without deterrence, as though our rights and sacred places are permissible targets for anyone harboring hatred or ignorance in their heart.”
The Assyria Post
