Following a devastating bloodbath in a Syrian-Catholic church in Baghdad, representatives of Assyrian/Chaldean/Aramaean Christians in Iraq are calling for an autonomously administered region for their people in the Niniveh province in the northern part of the country. "In the Niniveh plains, Christians, Shabak, Yazidi and Muslim Kurds make up the majority of the population. Thus the Assyrian/Chaldean/Aramaean demand is completely justified," stated the President of the Society for Threatened Peoples (STP), Tilman Zülch, on Monday in Göttingen. "Most importantly, autonomy for the region could help protect the smaller ethnic and religious communities if this area is connected to the peaceful Iraqi-Kurdish region. The situation there has been safe for years, and the policies of the regional government concerning nationalities is exemplary for the entire Middle East region." Many Christians have already been taken in by Iraqi Kurdistan because they have relatives there.

"The constitution of Iraq permits the formation of autonomous regions and provides for a referendum on affiliation, including for parts of the Niniveh province," reported Zülch. "The referendum must be held soon, as it is in the best interests of the security of all minorities."

The STP, which has an independent section in Iraq, has maintained a "Chronicle of Violence" for many years documenting the violence against Christians and minorities in Iraq. Yesterday's bloodbath wiped out entire families; for example, all members of Thamer Kamel Osi's Christian family: husband, wife, and their two children. At least 39 Christians are said to have been killed, including the priests Wassim Sabih and Thaer Saad Abdal, and at least 120 others wounded.

According to STP research, since 2003 more than three quarters of the 400,000 Christian inhabitants have fled the metropolis of Baghdad with its five million residents. Many of them hardly dare to go to mass or send their children to a Christian school for fear of terrorist attacks.

To subscribe to the continuously updated chronicle of the attacks, send e-mail to nahost@gfbv.de.

For further information, please contact Kamal Sido (0049-(0)551-49906-18).

Translated by Elizabeth Crawford