MESOP : Australian Parliament Calls for Protection of Assyrians in Iraq

2014-09-02 06:01 GMT – Chris BowenCanberra (AINA) — The Australian Federal Parliament discussed the plight of the Assyrians of Iraq on Monday after a motion was raised by The Hon. Chris Bowen MP, Shadow Treasurer and Member for McMahon, upon a request from the Assyrian Universal Alliance. The motion focused on the the Assyrian people of Iraq and their demand for the establishment of a safe haven in their ancestral lands in North Iraq.

The motion was successfully seconded and endorsed by the six speakers of the house. Debate on the motion lasted about 30 minutes.

The motion condemns the actions of ISIS and lebels them as attempted genocide, calls for humanitarian aid, supports the the establishment of an Assyrian autonomous region and calls the international community to protect the rights of Assyrians and other minorities in Iraq. Since capturing Mosul on June 10 ISIS has driven 200,000 Assyrians and 150,000 Yazidis from their homes, killed thousands of Yazidis and Assyrians (also known as Chaldeans and Syriacs), destroyed all churches in Mosul and looted and plundered entire towns and villages that were abandoned by the fleeing Assyrians and Yazidis.