Kurdistan Democratic Party releases 8 abducted Assyrians

national | miscellaneous | news report Monday June 16, 2003 21:43 by Bahro Bar Sayoda

Great news from the homeland!!!

According to an official Statement of the political Bureau of the Patriotic Union of Mesopotamia (Khuyada d`Bethnahrain Athraya - HBA) in Mossul (Niniveh), the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) releases the 8 abducted members of HBA in the first days of June. Yasar Kücükaslan, Jack Yakob Shen, Gebro Gurbuz, Fikri Hobel, Basar Isho, Salih Pedaui, Ivan Franciss Yoran and Efrem Semir have been taken from their offices in Barthillah (Mossul) by KDP forces on 15 April. The Assyrian-Syriac HBA activists arrested for defending the rights of their people were kept prisoners about 45 days in Northern Iraq (Salahaddin).

The case of the eight abducted HBA members has raised questions in the region about the relationships between the different peoples and organizations. After investigation and several meetings between KDP and HBA representatives in Europe and Iraq, KDP found the 8 Assyrian-Chaldean-Syriac activists blameless and released them.

According to the HBA representative and one of the abducted persons, Mr. Shalito Hobel, the Patriotic Union of Bethnahrin will continue their legal work in Mossul, Kerkuk and Bagdad. After a long years dispute the meetings of the two political parties opened a new door for a constructive dialogue between HBA and KDP. In the next time HBA will begin official work and activities in KDP controlled Behdinan area.