President Barzani Meets Assyrians for Justice Foundation Head to Discuss Justice and Assyrian Martyrs Monument

President Masoud Barzani met with Sam Darmo, head of the Assyrians for Justice Foundation in the United States, in Pirmam, Erbil. The discussion centered on justice, coexistence, and the rights of religious and ethnic communities in the Kurdistan Region and Iraq. Darmo commended Barzani’s ongoing support for diverse communities and his backing of initiatives commemorating Assyrian victims of past atrocities.

Darmo specifically thanked Barzani for his support of the Assyrian Martyrs Monument in Semel, whose foundation stone was laid on Sunday. He described the project as a historic step toward preserving memory and honoring the victims of the 1933 massacre against Assyrians. President Barzani reaffirmed his support for the Assyrian community and all components of Kurdistan’s social fabric, noting that the principles of equality, justice, and protection of national and religious rights are deeply rooted in the Barzani legacy.

The meeting also touched on the political situation in Iraq, broader regional developments, and ongoing changes in the Middle East. The gathering took place amid renewed attention to the legacy of the 1933 Semel massacre, one of the earliest large-scale crimes against minorities in modern Iraqi history. On Sunday, senior Kurdish and Assyrian figures attended a ceremony in Semel to mark the laying of the foundation stone for a memorial honoring Assyrian victims.

Duhok Governor Ali Tatar, speaking at the ceremony, emphasized a shared destiny among the peoples of Kurdistan, highlighting a long history of collective suffering endured by Kurds, Assyrians, Yazidis, and other indigenous communities. The ceremony was held under the supervision of President Barzani and attended by Mar Awa III, Patriarch of the Assyrian Church of the East, along with senior political, military, and religious officials.

Speakers placed the Semel massacre within a broader historical pattern of repression, including campaigns against the Barzanis in the early 1930s and later atrocities such as the Anfal campaign of the late 1980s. Patriarch Mar Awa III described the construction of the Assyrian Martyrs Monument as a meaningful act of recognition by the Kurdistan Regional Government.

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