Independence movements

History of Assyrian self-government demands

From the 1932 autonomy petition and 1933 Simele massacre, through the 1979 founding of the Assyrian Democratic Movement, to the 2014-2015 Islamic State attacks on Assyrian communities.

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The 1932 petition and the 1933 Simele massacre

In 1932, ahead of Iraqi independence, Assyrian Patriarch Mar Shimun XXI Eshai petitioned the League of Nations for an autonomous Assyrian homeland within Iraq, protection guarantees, and freedom to emigrate in the event of future massacres; these demands were not granted.[1]

In August 1933, Iraqi government forces and allied irregulars killed an estimated 3,000 Assyrians across Simele and around 63 surrounding villages; approximately one third of Iraq's Assyrian population fled to Syria as a result. The massacre is widely cited as a direct influence on Raphael Lemkin's later coining of the term "genocide."[2]

· Other

Simele massacre, 1933

Iraqi government forces killed thousands of Assyrians shortly after the League of Nations declined to grant the community autonomy, a massacre later cited as directly influencing the coining of the term "genocide."

The Assyrian Democratic Movement

The Assyrian Democratic Movement (Zowaa) was founded on 12 April 1979, later becoming the leading Assyrian political organization in Iraq.[3]

The 2014-2015 Islamic State attacks

On 6-7 August 2014, Islamic State forces captured Qaraqosh and other predominantly Assyrian towns in the Nineveh Plain, prompting more than 120,000 Assyrian and other Christians to flee, most to Iraq's Kurdistan Region; Iraqi and allied forces recovered the area in October 2016.[4] The Assyrian Democratic Movement responded by forming the Nineveh Plain Protection Units, formally announced 25 November 2014.[5]

Beginning around 23 February 2015, Islamic State forces attacked around 35 Assyrian villages along the Khabour River in Syria's Al-Hasakah Province, abducting more than 220-259 Assyrian Christians and displacing at least 1,380 families.[6]

· Other

Nineveh Plain exodus and NPU formation, 2014

The Islamic State's capture of Qaraqosh and other Assyrian towns displaced over 120,000 Christians and prompted the formation of an Assyrian self-defence militia.

· Other

Khabour River attack, 2015

Islamic State forces attacked dozens of Assyrian villages in northeastern Syria, abducting hundreds of Christians.

Sources for this page

Each number marks a specific claim. Notes give the source, its locator and how it relates to the claim.

  1. 1.

    Claim: In 1932, ahead of Iraqi independence from British mandatory administration, Assyrian Patriarch Mar Shimun XXI Eshai petitioned the League of Nations for an autonomous Assyrian homeland within Iraq, protection guarantees, and freedom to emigrate in the event of future massacres; these demands were not granted.

    • Assyrian war of independence (Wikipedia) link, Petitions to the League of Nations section. Source record
  2. 2.

    Claim: In August 1933, Iraqi government forces and allied irregulars killed an estimated 3,000 Assyrians across the town of Simele and around 63 surrounding villages in the Dohuk and Mosul districts, in what became known as the Simele massacre; approximately one third of Iraq's Assyrian population fled to Syria as a result. The massacre is widely cited as a direct influence on Raphael Lemkin's later coining of the term "genocide."

  3. 3.

    Claim: The Assyrian Democratic Movement (Zowaa) was founded on 12 April 1979, and later formed the Nineveh Plain Protection Units as its armed wing.

  4. 4.

    Claim: On 6-7 August 2014, Islamic State forces captured Qaraqosh and other predominantly Assyrian towns in the Nineveh Plain (including Tel Keppe, Bartella and Karamlish), prompting more than 120,000 Assyrian and other Christians to flee, most to Iraq's Kurdistan Region; Iraqi and allied forces recovered the area in October 2016, after which tens of thousands of displaced Christians began returning to damaged towns.

    • ISIS overtakes Iraq's largest Christian city (CNN) link, Capture and displacement sections. Source record
  5. 5.

    Claim: Recruitment for the Nineveh Plain Protection Units, an Assyrian self-defence paramilitary force formed as the armed wing of the Assyrian Democratic Movement, began following the Islamic State's capture of Mosul on 4 June 2014, with the organization formally announced on 25 November 2014.

  6. 6.

    Claim: Beginning around 23 February 2015, Islamic State forces attacked around 35 Assyrian villages along the Khabour River in Syria's Al-Hasakah Province, abducting more than 220-259 Assyrian Christians (figures vary by source) and displacing at least 1,380 families; those abducted were reportedly released over time, in many cases after ransom payments, though this bundle does not independently verify the fate of every individual abducted.

    • Number of Christian Assyrians abducted by ISIS rises to at least 220 (CBC News) link, Attack and abduction figures section. Source record

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Printed from https://independenceatlas.com/movements/assyrian-self-government/history · last substantive update 24 September 2026.