Iraq: Information on the treatment of the Assyrians by the government of Iraq and on whether Iraqi Assyrians are allowed to work for that government
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 1 November 1992 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | IRQ12299 |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Iraq: Information on the treatment of the Assyrians by the government of Iraq and on whether Iraqi Assyrians are allowed to work for that government, 1 November 1992, IRQ12299, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6aafb94.html [accessed 30 May 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
According to a representative of the Arab League in Ottawa, the government of Iraq does not ill-treat the Assyrians (19 Nov. 1992). The representative maintains that while Iraqi Assyrians are allowed to work for government organizations, high government positions are not offered to them.
Attached please find Responses to Information Requests IRQ6217 of 17 July 1990 and IRQ8150 of 21 March 1991 on the treatment of the Assyrians in Iraq.
The following information may be noteworthy although it does not specifically refer to the Assyrians in Iraq. Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 1991 states that
[t]he Government [of Iraq] has been less intrusive into the religious affairs of Iraq's Christians, who number more than 300,000. Their freedom of worship in churches of established denominations is legally protected, but they may not proselytize or hold meetings outside church premises (1992, 1424).
The source adds that
[t]he small but significant Iraqi Christian community has traditionally suffered little overt discrimination due to religious affiliation. Some churches were targeted by Iraqi forces during the uprising, however, and a number of Christians who fled to Turkey in the aftermath of the fighting cited both oppression by Iraqi authorities and discrimination by the north's Kurdish majority as factors in their decision to remain in Turkish refugee camps rather than return to return to an uncertain future in Iraq (Ibid., 1428).
Additional information on the above subjects is currently unavailable to the DIRB.
References
Arab League, Ottawa. 19 November 1992. Telephone Interview with Representative.
Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 1991. 1992. U.S. Department of State. Washington: U.S. Government Printing Office.
Attachments
Immigration and Refugee Board Documentation Centre (IRBDC), Ottawa. 21 March 1991. Response to Information Request IRQ8150.
. 17 July 1990. Response to Information Request IRQ6217.
