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2007

WASHINGTON - The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom, an independent, bipartisan federal agency, has sent a letter to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice urging the U.S. government to address the severe threats to Iraq’s smallest religious minorities.

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On 28th August 2007, the President of the European Syriac Union Mr. İskender Alptekin and the Vice-President Fikri Aygür had a meeting with the Prime Minister of Lebanon Fouad Siniora and the Leader of the Lebanese Forces Mr. Samir Geagea.

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All over the world, ordinary women, men, and children are fighting for the rights of their communities to be recognized. Dr Hunain Al-Qaddo spoke to MRG's Monica Evans.

Talking fast becomes second nature when you are passionate about your work. Dr Hunain Al-Qaddo, head of Iraq’s Minorities Council, knows time is short: armed with facts and figures he fights for Iraq’s minority religious and ethnic groupings.

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More than two million Iraqis are estimated to have fled to neighbouring countries. Syria has around 1.4 million Iraqi refugees, Jordan 750,000, the Gulf States 200,000, Egypt 80,000 and Lebanon 40,000.45 Approximately 40,000–50,000 Iraqis are leaving their homes to seek safety inside or outside Iraq on a monthly basis. According to Refugees International, Iraq now represents the fastest-growing refugee crisis in the world.

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On 27th June 2007 at around 10:00 am, two members of the Syriac-Chaldean-Assyrian Christian community in Iraq were brutally murdered in Mousul. Zuhayr Yousef Stayfo (Born in Karemlesh 1958) the head of the Mosul branch of the Bethnahrin Patriotic Union (HBA) and Luay Sleyman Nouman (Born in Tel Esquf 1986) a member of HBA, while driving in a car, their vehicle was stopped by some unknown persons in the city of Mousul and were shot dead. Their bodies were later collected by their colleagues in Mousul.

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On the 19th & 20th May 2007, ESU organised its 2nd Congress in Brussels. Since its foundation 3 years ago, more than 100 members were present for the 2nd Congress.

Mrs. Rima Tuzun did the Congress inauguration and presented the 2 days program with her speech. Then a poem has been read in memory of the Syriac martyrs and 1 minute of silence has been observed.

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L'Union européenne s'est dotée d'une législation commune contre le racisme et le négationnisme après plusieurs années de discussion marquées par de fortes dissensions entre les Etats membres. Une profonde ligne de clivage sépare en effet les pays qui donnent une priorité absolue à la liberté d'expression, même lorsqu'elle rend possibles des discours de haine et de violence, et ceux qui estiment nécessaire d'imposer des limites à de tels discours. Une décision-cadre proposée en 2001 par la Commission n'avait pu aboutir faute d'accord.

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On 30-31 March 2007, the First International Syriac Symposium was held in Turabdin’s central town of Midyat. This symposium was for the most part financed by the European Union and was jointly organized by the Ulasilabilir Yasam Dernegi (Life Within Reach Association) a social organisation from Turkey and the European Syriac Union (ESU).

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