Kurdistan Region president commemorates victims of 1933 Simele massacre

BAGHDAD, Iraq — Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani marked the 93rd anniversary of the Simele massacre, honoring Assyrian victims of the 1933 violence in northern Iraq, according to a post on X. Barzani said residents of more than 60 villages in Mosul and Dohuk joined in commemorating the victims, using the occasion to stress pluralism, coexistence and mutual acceptance. The Simele massacre refers to violence targeting Assyrians between August 8 and 11, 1933, concentrated in the town of Simele and around 63 surrounding Assyrian villages amid political and security tensions between the Iraqi government and the Assyrian community. Many people were killed, and part of the Assyrian population was forced to migrate from the area. Historical sources place the death toll at roughly 600, though estimates of the scale of the killings and the scope of military operations vary. In his statement, Barzani emphasized that Kurdistan will remain a shared homeland for all communities in perpetuity.