WCA to Special Rapporteur on Minority Issues: Report on atrocities committed against Arameans
During the UN Human Rights Council session on 14 March 2018, WCA called on the Special Rapporteur on Minority Issues, Mr. Fernand de Varennes, to report on the atrocities committed against the Arameans in Syria and Iraq. In addition, the statement contained recommendations to the UN Security Council and General Assembly, pertaining to the future survival of the Aramean people in their homeland.
WCA's Director for UN Affairs, Ms. Sarah Bakir, delivers the statement before the Special Rapporteur on Minority Issues.
Thank you, Mr. President.
As a distinct minority, Arameans have been targeted by many parties in Syria and Iraq. In places like Nineveh, Palmyra, Maaloula and Sadad, their lives, habitat and heritage have been destroyed. Today, Arameans fear for their lives and the future existence of their people. They desire to remain in their homeland, but lack the means to rebuild their livelihoods such as in Homs and the Nineveh Plain.
Recently, a mass grave was discovered in Mosul, containing the bodies of forty Aramean girls, women and men. Several mass graves from previously ISIS-held areas have been uncovered. The evidence of genocide against Arameans, Yezidis and others in Syria and Iraq must be preserved to prosecute the perpetrators and ensure justice.
In Northeast Syria, human rights violations by Kurdish forces against Arameans and other vulnerable groups are ongoing. This includes forced conscription of teenagers and expropriation of property and land. These are some of many underreported cases of constant threats to Arameans that have forced them to flee for the sake of their children´s safety and future.
We request the Special Rapporteur to report on these issues and recommend the UN Security Council and General Assembly to take the following measures that ensure the survival of Arameans and other ethno-religious minorities in Syria and Iraq:
- Restoration and reconstruction of destroyed towns and villages to promote the continued existence of minorities and promote the return of IDPs and refugees.
- Strengthening civil society and assisting in the aid, psychological healing, and empowerment of those who have escaped the horrors of captivity.
- Providing future guarantees of protections and rights through incentivizing governments to ensure and promote equality among citizens of all ethnic and religious backgrounds.
- Ensure that investigative bodies appointed by the United Nations prepare a strategy for the preservation of evidence for crimes committed against the final remaining vulnerable minorities.
Thank you, Mr. President.
Click here to download the statement in pdf.
