KRI President commemorates 93rd Simele Massacre anniversary
Shafaq News- Erbil
Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI) President Nechirvan Barzani on Friday marked the 93rd anniversary of the 1933 Simele Massacre, affirming that the KRI will remain “a shared homeland for all its communities.”
Barzani renewed his “commitment to preserving pluralism, coexistence, and mutual acceptance,” describing the anniversary as “a painful occasion.”
لە یادی 93 ساڵەی ڕۆژی شههیدی ئاشووری ـدا، سڵاوی ڕێز و وەفاداری بۆ گیانی شەهید و قوربانییانی بێتاوانی کۆمهڵکوژیی سێمێل دهنێرین که ساڵی 1933 لهگهڵ دانیشتووانی زیاتر له شهست گوندی پارێزگاکانی مووسڵ و دهۆک، بوونه قوربانیی دهستی دهسهڵاتی ئەوکاتی پاشایەتیی عێراق. لهم…
— Nechirvan Barzani (@IKRPresident) August 7, 2026
Read more: Iraqi Kurdistan’s pluralism: A living model of coexistence
The massacre took place between Aug. 7 and 11, 1933, when the Iraqi army launched a military campaign against Simele and more than 60 nearby villages in present-day Duhok and Nineveh provinces, following tensions between the Hashemite monarchy and Assyrian leaders over demands for international guarantees to protect their community.
Led by General Bakr Sidqi, the campaign killed more than 600 civilians in Simele alone, while some estimates put the overall death toll at more than 3,000. Historical accounts also note mass executions, the burning of homes, rape, and widespread violence.
Assyrians around the world commemorate the massacre each year on Aug. 7 to honor its victims and preserve their historical and cultural heritage.
