December 24, 2005

Political Organizations Accuse the Kurdish Army of "Controlling Voting Centers" Accusations of Forgery in Mosul: A Town with 1000 Voters ended up with 5,000 Votes Cast.

December 21, 2005

Large Assyrian Turnout in Iraq Election Marred By Kurdish Voting Fraud

December 19, 2005

Official statements regarding election fraud

Mr. Younadam Kanna, the Secretary General of the Assyrian Democratic Movement and the Head of the Rafidain Slate (# 740) stated to Aswat al-Iraq that many irregularities and violations were committed against the ChaldoAssyrians in Kirkuk, Mosul, and Nineveh Plain towns, which constitute a Christian majority. He stated that his slate has presented many complaints to the Independent Electoral Commission of Iraq (IECI). One of these
complaints concerns erasing the names of hundreds of ChaldoAssyrian families from the registration books, thus preventing them from voting. Other places in Arbil and Mosul were closed three hours earlier than scheduled under the pretext that all voting ballots were used and none were left. Other violations included the transgression and trespassing of the larger and more powerful slates and the interferences of the militias to influence the election process. Mr. Kanna hoped that the IECI would punish the responsible slates severely and to repeal all the votes that those slates gained due to their violations.

Charges of fraud and irregularities in the Iraqi election already are emerging from Iraqi Kurdistan. Election monitors say Kurdish militia refused to leave their weapons outside polling stations and refused to have their fingers inked to ensure no double voting. One Western election observer says all sides -- Kurds, Sunnis and Shia -- are "packing the vote."

Police Officer Ivan Giwargis Zaia was assassinated in al-Sina'aa Quarters in Mosul. Ivan was born in 1976. He was married and had one child.

Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) stops Assyrian group from campaigning during the period leading up to the general elections in Iraq.

Sarmad Behnam Ibrahim (b. 1974), an Assyrian, a member of the Assyrian Democratic Movement and an officer in the Kirkuk Police Department, was murdered while on duty.

Gunmen in two cars opened fire today on four members of the Assyrian Democratic Movement as they hung Iraqi election posters in Mosul, killing two of them. One person was also wounded in the morning attack, according to Dr. Bahaldin al-Bakri from the Jumhouri hospital. The gunmen began firing while the party officials were pasting posters on walls for the coming parliamentary elections in al-Shuhadaa neighborhood in northeast Mosul around 1:30 p.m. local time.
The four ADM members are:
1. Martyr Yousif Nabil Ishmael - from Baghdeda (born 1986).
2. Martyr Gewargis Brikha Youkhana - from Nahla (born 1980).
3. Simon Edmon Youkhana, injured (born 1983).
4. Milad Zakkar Mansour (born 1987) – He is currently in a life threatening condition after receiving a gunshot wound to the head.

Baghdad police announced that a group of armed men stormed a Christian home in East Baghdad's al-Ghadeer quarters, which has a Christian majority, and killed four Christian women in the house.

On Wednesday, at approximately 5:00 p.m., a car bomb exploded near the Church of Mar Giwargis in the Assyrian quarters of Almas district in Kirkuk. One of the three civilian victims was an 18-year-old Assyrian Sarmad Fadi Kamil. His father was injured in the explosion.

October 29, 2005

At around 6:30 p.m., a white Opel stopped in front of Oil Engineer Michael Seeron Michael's house in Almas District. Five armed Kurds were in the car. As a group stepped out and knocked on the door, others kept the car running. As Michael opened the front door, the Kurds shot him with four bullets in his chest that killed him immediately. Michael, known to his close friends as Mikho, was the executive director for the northern branch of the Iraqi Oil Company. He had told his close friends that he was being threatened by members of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) when they were visiting him at the company and they were asking him to quit his job and join the Kurdish party. Michael is survived by his seven sisters, who are scattered around the Globe.

A group of terrorists attacked an Assyrian family killing Younan Gharib and seriously injuring his wife and brother-in-law. Younan has been staying in Syria because of the conditions in Iraq. He had decided to return to Baghdad, move to northern Iraq, and live there among his extended family in a village by the Iraqi-Turkish border.

A group of armed men entered the apartment of Nomat'eel Hasra, an Assyrian woman living in the New Baghdad district, in eastern Baghdad, and killed her. No reasons are yet known

In the capital's New Baghdad neighborhood, gunmen opened fire on a Nissan pickup truck that was carrying six Assyrian security guards assigned to protect Ms. Pascale Warda Esho, Assyrian and the former Iraqi Minister of Displacement and Migration. Ms. Warda was not harmed in this attack. The body guards were on their way to collect Ms. Warda Esho. The identities of the guards killed were released as: 1. Daniel Nissan Philipos, 27, town of Dehe; 2. Ninos Nissan Philipos, 30, town of Dehe (brothers); 3. Mahir Muneb Hanna, 27, town of Telkepe; 4. Johnny Youkhanna David, 30, town of Dawedeya. Mr. Nabeel Matti, a commanding officer from Bartilla, was critically injured.

Two groups of armed men in military uniforms began shooting near a gas station in Bartella. Nabil Akram Ammona (b. 1968, married with two children) was killed instantly and Matti Shimon Sha'ya (b. 1950, married with four children) was hit in the head and is struggling to survive. It has been reported that the KDP member peshmerges killed the two Assyrian civilians by shooting them in the head. The Iraqi sources commented on the event and said that the Assyrians holding demonstrations against constitution resulted in the reaction of the Kurdish peshmerges. According to the received information, Nabil Akram Ammona was shot down dead in the head by the KDP peshmerges in Bartilla. While waiting the tank of his car to be filled up at the gas station the KDP pehmerges entering the station got out of their vehicles and approached Ammona and took the gas pump out of the tank of the car. Later, they killed Ammona shooting him in the head. Meanwhile, Matti Shimon Zora Sha'ya who wished to take Ammona to the hospital was shot by the same peshmerges and in the same way. Sha'ya who was taken to the hospital after the peshmerges escaped the crime scene and he lost his life.

On Sunday, August 14, 2005, Ayad Dawood Gergis was driving his car to work when he was attacked and killed by unknown gunmen.

On Thursday, August 11, 2005, Engineer Sa'aad Fouzi was kidnapped opposite Sonobor Hotel in al-Muhafada St in Kirkuk. His body was found later stabbed repeatedly and thrown in Kornish st. Sa'aad was 29 years old and worked as an engineer in Northern Oil Company.

In Baghdad, Dora quarters (al-Mekanik), Sargon Esho (born 1983) was shot and
killed on August 9, 2005 near Mar Zaia Church as he was attempting to do some groceries.

In Mosul, the body of Anita Theodoros Harjo (born 1985), a student in Nineveh Art Academy, was found on August 8, 2005, thrown in 'Akkab cemetery. Anita was kidnapped in al-Zohoor quarters while on her way to an Internet Café.

In Mosul, armed men kidnapped pharmacist Noel Potrus (born 1963) and his brother Amar and an Arab who worked in the pharmacy on August 6, 2005. Noel's body and that of the Arab were found thrown on the side road north of Mosul. Amar was released after paying $50,000 ransom.

On August 4, 2005, Dr. Noel Petros Shammas Matti was kidnapped by an unknown group. He was found dead the day after his abduction. Dr. Matti was born in the village of Bartilla in 1962; he was married and a father for two daughters. He was a lecturer at the Medical Institute of Mosul University and owned a pharmacy in the same city.

Gunmen fired on a car carrying newlyweds who were married last Wednesday and their families, killing the bride (Salay, 22) while wounding her mother, groom (Wisam Abdul Wahad, 24) and driver (Marcel Ishoo) in the southern Dora neighborhood of Baghdad according to police and medical officials.

A small explosion rocked the Assyrian Church in Habbaniya, Ramadi in Iraq. There was some damage to the roof of the church. No civilian injuries have been reported yet.

On Thursday, a Christian owner of a Liquor shop was killed. A car stopped in front of the store that sells in al-Karrada quarters in center Baghdad, an armed man stepped out of the car, and began shooting at the owner. The owner of the shop was killed instantly.

Younadam Youkhana Shimun (born 1963) was attacked and killed in a hate crime related motive. His son was injured in the operation. Mr. Shimun was married and had two sons and a daughter.

A car bomb exploded in the Arapha Assyrian quarters. Randy Robert Alexin (5 years young) who was riding with his parents in their own car was killed immediately, while both his parents were injured and transferred to a near by hospital. Funeral was held in St. George Church in Almas quarters.

Ghassan Fahmi, (b. 1977) owner of Ghassan's D.J. and Recording business, in al-Zuhoor quarter, was kidnapped by an unidentified group from his business place on Wednesday June 1. He was murdered and his body returned back two hours later.

It has been reported that Mr. Ninos Y. Khoshaba (grandson of Malik Khoshaba) and Mr. Youarish Sawrou the youngest brother of Mar Narsi (old Calendar Church of the East) were kidnapped five days ago, and to this moment no one has heard from the perpetrators nor the victims.

Laith Zuhair Gibraeil Hoodi (b. 1977) was killed immediately on Wednesday morning when a rocket hit his home in al-Sukkar quarters in Mosul. His mother I'atimad abd al-Ahad was hit by many splinters in her arms, legs, and other parts of her body, she remains in critical condition in the hospital.

Ishaq Habib Kola (b. 1953 in Alqosh) was killed when a bullet targeted him while he was inside his home. Ishaq worked in the medical field for some 25 years and dedicated his life for helping others. He was married and had 4 children. His aged father from Alqosh was visiting the family when the murder took place and Ishaq passed away in the arms of his old father.

Kifah Mattai Ibraham was found murdered in Mosul. He was kidnapped on March 3. He was born in 1962 and is married. He ran his own stone factory business in Mosul.

Karim Elia Abouna, an Assyrian originally from Alqosh, was murdered in the Assyrian quarters of Dora, Baghdad today. An armed group of men entered his shop, shot him five times with light guns and he was killed immediately.

General Wael Yousif Yacoub, a Chaldo-Assyrian, was assassinated earlier today while returning home from Baghdad, a reporter of the Iraqi News Agency said today. According to eyewitnesses, armed men surrounded the general's car and began shooting; he was killed immediately. General Yacoub worked as an officer in the Internal Affairs Department of the Kirkuk Police. He was credited with the re-opening of the Kirkuk police force after the fall of Saddam Hussein. General Yacoub represented the Christians' voice in the affairs dealing with the local Police Board and was an ex-officer in the Iraqi army. General Yacoub was also a deacon (shamasha) at the Chaldean Catholic Cathedral in Kirkuk and considerably respected in his community. Sources to Zinda Magazine indicate that lately General Yacoub had been openly criticizing the Kurdish position on the ownership of the city of Kirkuk. Wael was murdered when a car stopped next to his and began to fire at him. Wael was from Telkepe originally. He became a member of the ADM after the liberation of Iraq in April 9, 2003. He was an Engineer. He is married and had two daughters. Islamist Ansar al-Sunna army announced its responsibility for the killing.

Some 30 members of the gang of Mugtada al-Sadr (the al-Mahdi Army) attacked a group of Engineering College students of Basra University. The students were having a picnic at al-Andalus Park, downtown Basra , when a hooded gang in the name of Islam attacked and began to beat them with batons and sticks. One Christian student Zahra Ashor was killed and fifteen others students were badly injured. When a fellow student attempted to help Zahra, he was shot in the head. At least 20 students were kidnapped and taken to Sadr's office in al-Tuwaisa for 'interrogation' and were released late at night. The gang stole the student's belongings, including telephones, jewelry, and destroyed the tape recorder they were using to listen to music and many tapes. The attacks are because the female students were not wearing the Islamic hijab (veil) and because the students were listening to music.