Plans announced for Simele massacre monument

Assyrian organizations have come together to establish a monument in the city of Simele for the 1933 massacre on Assyrians.

Plans announced for Simele massacre monument
A stone marking one of the sites of the Simele massacre.

Nine Assyrian organizations in Iraq have announced a joint plan to erect a monument in the city of Simele to honor the victims of the 1933 massacre of Assyrians. The plan was outlined in a written statement issued on August 20.

According to the statement, the first step will be a field visit to the land allocated for the monument in Simele by the Nohadra (Duhok) governorate in 2019, in order to survey the site.

As a second step, the signatories call on the diaspora to become involved and support the project financially and in other ways.

The signatories, which include the Assyrian Democratic Movement and its affiliated youth, development, and women’s organizations, aim to have the monument completed in time for next year’s Assyrian Martyrs Day on August 7.

The Iraqi state has yet to officially recognize the Simele massacre.

Youth organizations honor memory of victims in solemn ceremony in Simele
In an act of deep veneration, a group of Assyrian youth held a ceremony in Simele on Assyrian Martyrs day.