Via the Assyrian International News Agency (AINA), Nov. 4:

The Iraqi parliament voted on Monday, November 3rd on the issue of reserved seats for the Assyrians, Yezidies, Shabaks and Mandeans. The final vote of the Iraqi parliament is a huge disappointment for the mentioned communities in Iraq.

The political game by the majority groups has resulted in a serious amputation of the rights of minorities in Iraq and their proper political representation. More than half of the reserved seats in the provincial councils have now been removed. This means the minorities now only hold 6 seats out of a total 440 in Iraq's provincial councils.

This marginalization of weak and vulnerable Iraqi communities can only lead Iraq to become a totalitarian country where three majority groups, Sunni, Shia and Kurds oppress Assyrians, Turkmens, Yezidies, Shabaks and Mandeans.

The removal of the reserved seats is wrong and must be reversed as soon as possible.

We denounce the political oppression in Iraq against the minorities and call the United States of America and the European Union to demonstrate their support for the Assyrians, Yezidies, Mandeans, Turkmens and Shabaks in general and on the issue of the reserved seats in particular.

The Assyria Council of Europe
The Iraqi Turkmen Front
The Yezidi Movement for Reform and Progress
The Mandean Human Rights Group

See our last posts on Iraq, and sectarian cleansing of Christians, Turkmen, Yazidis and Mandeans.