Iraq: Information on the conditions of Christians in Iraqi Kurdistan, on whether they are allowed to practise their religion openly; and whether the Iraqi armed forces operate in Iraqi Kurdistan (update to IRQ25099.E of 17 October 1996)
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 1 May 1998 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | IRQ29385.E |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Iraq: Information on the conditions of Christians in Iraqi Kurdistan, on whether they are allowed to practise their religion openly; and whether the Iraqi armed forces operate in Iraqi Kurdistan (update to IRQ25099.E of 17 October 1996), 1 May 1998, IRQ29385.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6abbf40.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. |
Information on the conditions of Christians (including Assyrians) in Iraqi Kurdistan is scarce. However, some information may be gleaned from the following news reports.
Two members of the "Peace Monitoring Force," a 200-member organization composed of Iraqi Turcomans and Assyrian Christians, were injured in April 1997 as a result of armed clashes between the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) and the Kurdistan Islamic Movement (KIM), which was allied with the Kurdish Democratic Party (KDP). The clashes began when the KIM occupied the town of Halabja (AFP 28 Apr. 1997).
In December 1997 a combined force composed of elements of the KDP and the Turkish armed forces carried out an attack in the Assyrian Christian village or Mankuzci (phonetic) near Dohuk, in Iraqi Kurdistan (MED-TV 18 Dec. 1997). According to a press release from ERNK (the National Liberation Front of Kurdistan, led by the Turkish-Kurdish armed opposition organization, the PKK), on which this report was based, six local residents were killed in Mankuzci and one was seriously injured as a result of the attack. ERNK accused the Assyrian Democratic Movement, which it said was allied with the KDP, of issuing false reports about the situation in Kurdistan.
On 2 April 1998 AFP reported that the Patriarch of the Syrian Orthodox Church, Mar Ignatius Zakka Iwass I, would visit Mosul, in Iraqi Kurdistan, on 4 April. The visit, which was arranged with the governments of Syria and Iraq, was to last more than four weeks; the Patriarch was scheduled to visit Baghdad as well as Kirkuk and Mosul, and the area surrounding Mosul. Subsequent reports of the Patriarch's visit could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate.
In an April 1998 article on the conflict between the PKK and the Turkish armed forces, the Assyrian Democratic Organization observed that although the Assyrian Christian residents of northern Iraq were "neutral in their position toward Kurdish autonomy," but that they were harmed as a result of continuing armed conflict involving Kurdish factions and the Turkish armed forces (Zenda 6 Apr. 1998).
Information on the activities of the Iraqi armed forces in Iraqi Kurdistan in 1998 is scarce; however, a 7 February 1998 article in the Los Angeles Times stated that the US was continuing to provide air cover for Iraqi Kurds, but did not state whether Iraqi ground forces were operating within the "no fly zone" established by the US north of the 36th parallel in Iraq. The above-mentioned AFP dispatch of 28 April 1997 reports that in August and September 1996 the KDP was supported by the Iraqi armed forces in clashes with the PUK in Kurdistan.
This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum.
References
Agence France Presse (AFP). 2 April 1998. "Syrian Patriarch to Make First Visit to Iraq Since 1982." (NEXIS)
_____. 28 April 1997. "Several Dead in New Clashes Between Iraqi Kurds: PUK." (NEXIS)
The Los Angeles Times. 7 February 1998. Amberin Zaman. "Hussein Reasserts Influence in Kurdish Region." (NEXIS)
MED-TV [London, in Turkish]. 18 December 1997. "Turkey's Kurdish Rebels Say KDP and Turkish Army Kill Villagers in Iraq." (BBC Summary 23 Dec. 1997/NEXIS)
Zenda: A Weekly Assyrian On-Line Magazine [Internet]. 6 April 1998. Vol. 4, Issue 5. "PPK's Ocalan Offers Olive Branch to Turkish Army Chief." < http://members.aol.com/Nabilhyro/ADO.htm > [Accessed on 12 May 1998]
