In the memory of the genocide of the Aramean people: to unite for the blood of our martyrs!

Some Aramean/Syriac institutions are striving for the worlds recognition of “The war of Sayfo" which claimed the lives of about 200 000 of our Aramean/Syriac people.

Before talking about Sayfo, we would like to point out that the time of the memory of the Aramean/Syriac genocide on the April 24 is wrong:

The Armenian people chose this date because in the April 23, 1915 the Ottoman Government arrested hundreds of Armenian intellectuals (the number was between 300 and 600 Armenians, especially in Istanbul, the capital) and killed all before the implementation of the genocide against the innocent Armenian people. 

There were no Arameans among these intellectuals because the Committee of Union and Progress (Ittihat ve Teraki Komitesi) wanted to exterminate the Armenian people under the pretext that it helps the Tsarist Russia.

But in fact the Committee of Union and Progress was afraid of the Armenian national consciousness and interventions of European countries in the Oriental Christians internal affairs.

Therefore, we believe that we must continue to commemorate this Aramean Martyr's Day on July 25 of each year, as it has been customary for many years.

The reason for the Aramean Democratic Organizations participation in today’s demonstration is only because of its interest to maintain coordination and cooperation among the Aramean/Syriac organizations and institutions.

 Based on the mentioned above, we would like to refer to the following:

First: We want to struggle as the Armenian people does and to succeed in making our voice heard to the world, but we must choose another date for the commemoration that has a connection to the genocide against our peaceful people.

Second: We must use the term "GENOCIDE" - because the free world has come to know what “GENOCIDE" means. Our peaceful Aramean people are the second in history, to be exposed to GENOCIDE.

Some armies have practiced brutal tactics against the civilian population, but it did not kill and torture women, children and men and the elderly because of the beneficiation from their work and taxes they paid. But the criminal Ottoman Empire "planned" to eliminate the Armenian people as a whole. After completion of its awful crime it began slaughtering our Aramean people.

Third: We hope not to exagerate the number of our martyrs; our cause is sacred for all our Syriac churches and the cultural institutions and parties need to unite their struggle for this issue. Exageration or politicization of this struggle, leads to diversions and provocation of some people.

Forth: In a few years, we will hold the hundredth years of the GENOCIDE memory. We demand that all of us be united for our holy cause. Let the blood of our martyrs motivate us to prevail on ourselves and examine our history and correct all wrong facts. Then the world will listen when we speak with one true voice.