Bet-Nahrain Democratic Party ܓܒܐ ܕܝܡܘܩܪܛܝܐ ܕܒܝܬ-ܢܗܪܝܢ | |
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| Leader | Romeo Hakkari |
| Founder | Sargon Dadesho |
| Founded | 1 November 1976; 49 years ago (1976-11-01) |
| Headquarters | Ankawa,Iraq |
| Military wing | Nineveh Plain Forces |
| Ideology | Assyrian nationalism Minority rights Self-determination Populism |
| Political position | Centre-right |
| Colours | Blue |
| Seats in theCouncil of Representatives of Iraq: | 0 / 325 |
| Seats in theKurdistan Region Parliament: | 0 / 105 |
| Website | |
| www.bet-nahrain.org | |
TheBet-Nahrain Democratic Party (Syriac:ܓܒܐ ܕܝܡܘܩܪܛܝܐ ܕܒܝܬ-ܢܗܪܝܢ,romanized: Gaba Demoqrataya d-Bet-Nahrain), usually abbreviated asBNDP, is anAssyrian political party based inIraq. For much of its existence, the party has been led by Romeo Hakkari. One of the party's goals is to create anautonomous Assyrian administrative region within theAssyrian homeland, through the framework of theIraqi constitution.[1]
The BNDP was founded in the 1970s. Its platform emphasizesAssyrian nationalism and advocating for anAssyrian autonomous region in Iraq, which caused them to be put under surveillance from theBa'ath party. It has participated inAssyrian politics in Iraq since the2003 invasion, with varying success in elections. The party also established theNineveh Plain Forces in the wake ofISIS, and has since joined theAthra Alliance alongside several other Assyrian political parties.
In recent years, the BNDP has been known to opt its stance towards theKurdish Regional Government, often in opposition to parties like theAssyrian Democratic Movement who prioritized theFederal government of Iraq. The party is also noted for its affiliation with the rulingBarzani family of theKurdistan Regional Government (KRG) and its relation with theKurdistan Democratic Party, under the leadership of Hakkari.[2][3]
The Bet Nahrain Democratic Party was originally conceived in March 1974, as a union between the Bet-Nahrain Organization inCalifornia headed bySargon Dadesho, and the Quest Movement inChicago. During the early 1970s, Dadesho was described byZinda Magazine as a "vocal evangelist for theAssyrian Universal Alliance". However, his pursuit of more militant political strategies led him to leave the AUA and form the BNDP, with the help of former AUA members.[4] The party itself was founded in 1976 based on the concept of Dadesho's previous organization.[2]
Dadesho advocated Assyrian nationalism through the BNDP, creating theAssyrian National Manifesto which called for an Assyrian autonomous state inMosul orDuhok.[2][5] The manifesto prompted heavy concerns from the still newly emergedBa'athist regime of Iraq, especially in relation to the party's activities with leaders of theChaldean Catholic Church.[6] The BNDP was eventually put under the surveillance of the Iraqi government, alongside other Assyrian political parties,[7] with notes of the party's position on an independent Assyrian state in theNineveh Province and the formation of the "Assyrian National Front" with the AUA.[8]
According to the AUA, the BNDP was among one of the first organizations to adopt the modernAssyrian flag.[9] In 2000, the Ba'athist government arrested Assyrians fromMosul andBaghdad after they were found to have obtained pamphlets from the party.[10]
As of 2025, the secretary general of the BNDP is Romeo Hakkari.[11] Hakkari has been the main figure leading the BNDP since 2003, and the party is connected to the Bet-Nahrain, Inc. organization headed by Sargon Dadesho inModesto, California.[4]
The headquarters of the BNDP are based inAnkawa,Erbil.[12] The party also has branches inErbil,Nineveh,Kirkuk,[13] andDuhok governorates,[14] as well as inEurope.[15]
FromJanuary 2005, Iraq began hosting open elections, which allowed the BNDP to participate in political candidate lists for the first time. The party contested the2005 Kurdistan Region parliamentary election[16] as part of the rulingDemocratic Patriotic Alliance of Kurdistan and were allocated one seat for Romeo Hakkari. It also contested theJanuary 2005 Iraqi legislative election as part of the Kurdish alliance, and Goriel Mineso Khamis was allocated one seat in theCouncil of Representatives of Iraq. Although initially participating in its own list, which comprised a number of cultural organizations and smaller political parties,[17] it did not participate in theIraqi legislative election of December 2005, as Romeo Hakkari had withdrawn before the elections began.[18]
In theIraqi governorate elections of 2009, the BNDP allied itself with theChaldean Syriac Assyrian Popular Council in theIshtar Patriotic List. The list won two seats inBaghdad andNinawa, including BNDP member Giwargis Esho Sada in Baghdad.[19] Prior to the2009 Kurdistan Region parliamentary election, the party withdrew from the elections.[20]
In the2010 Iraqi parliamentary election, the BNDP ran as part of a united list with theAssyrian Patriotic Party and the Chaldean Democratic Forum, called theIshtar Democratic List.[19] The list received the fewest votes across all governorates, and the party won no seats or representation.[21] Similarly, in the2013 Kurdistan Region parliamentary election, a candidate from the party ran as part of aChaldean Syriac Assyrian United List, but was unsuccessful at obtaining a seat in the parliament, coming in third place on the list overall.[22]
In the2018 Iraqi parliamentary election, the BNDP ran as part of theUnited Bet Nahrain List and received the highest votes of any Christian candidate in the Duhok Governorate, but the seat was ultimately awarded toEmanuel Khoshaba Youkhana of the Assyrian Patriotic Party.[23]
In 2023, the party joined theAthra Alliance established by theAssyrian Democratic Movement.[24] Through the coalition, the party participated in the2023 Iraqi governorate elections but won no seats.[25] The party has taken part in signing statements that condemned the discrimination of Assyrians as part of the alliance.[26]
In 1983, the party under Sargon Dadesho[27] set up theAssyrian National Congress,[28] alongside theAssyrian American Leadership Council. In 2002, they entered into an alliance with theFree Officers Movement of exiled military officers led by Najib al-Salhi. The party applied for NGO-affiliation at theUnited Nations, but was unsuccessful.[10] It was listed as having been active in Iraq in 2003 by theNational Democratic Institute,[29] and advocated for Assyrian nationalism in Iraq;[30] though in comparison with the Assyrian Democratic Movement, the party opted to ally with Kurdish interests.[31] The coalition was criticized for attempting to undermine the ADM by requesting a meeting withSarkis Aghajan Mamendo.[32]
The party also hosted its own annual conferences where they discussed party activities, issues of leadership and politics in theAssyrian homeland, and calls for greater autonomy. In August 2006, the party hosted its Congress inCalifornia.[1][33][34] From 2018, the party was understood to be openly affiliated with the Kurdistan Democratic Party, as well as the Assyrian branch of theCommunist Party of Kurdistan – Iraq.[35]
In 2014, the BNDP and Bet-Nahrain Patriotic Union announced the formation of the Nineveh Plain Forces to protect the people of theNineveh Plain and maintain control of the region for people that want to return to the area.[36][37] The force had been stationed in theTal Qasab village north ofMosul, and was intended to liberate Assyrian/Christian areas fromISIS while acting as the basis for security for anAssyrian autonomous region.[38]
The force, however, was criticized for acting as a Kurdish proxy against theNineveh Plain Protection Units, and although it reported 500 soldiers, eyewitness reports said that there were less than 50 active soldiers.[39][40] The force operated under the command of thePeshmerga and has been described as a Kurdish proxy group,[41] and was dissolved soon after their last update on social media in September 2017.[3]
During the2017 Iraqi–Kurdish conflict, Hakkari and the BNDP signing a collective document of support for theKurdistan Regional Government (KRG), condemning the federal Iraqi government's military actions.[42]
The party still engages in smaller activities in Iraq as of the 2020s. Hakkari had been chosen as head of the National Union Coalition[43] by the KRG from 2019 to 2023. Parallel to other Assyrian political parties, the BNDP condemned the revocation of minority political seats in theKurdistan Region Parliament and had taken part in boycotting the2024 Kurdistan Region parliamentary election.[44][45] In October 2025, the political bureau of the party issued a statement on the 49th anniversary of the founding of the party.[12]
Since 2003, a number of Assyrian organizations such as theChaldean Syriac Assyrian Popular Council (which was composed of several small groups opposed to the ADM[46]) have been established as proxy organizations to undermine organic Assyrian groups and advance outside interests (namely Arab or Kurdish).[47] Visible community figures have also been proxied and tokenized to promote the KDP, presenting the KRG as adopting practices of co-existence while countering claims of abuse and injustice.[47] Christians are often faced with choosing Arab or Kurdish aspirations where there is deep legacy of mistrust and knowledge of being used in a larger political struggle against their interests.[48]
Like other Assyrian political parties in Iraq, the Bet-Nahrain Democratic Party has been criticized for its affiliation with theKurdistan Democratic Party (KDP). In a 2018 report by theAssyrian Policy Institute, the group noted Romeo Hakkari's role as theKurdistan Regional Government's Assyrian representative for the2017 Kurdistan Region independence referendum.[49] The same report details that in the2018 Iraqi parliamentary election, the KDP endorsed Hakkari's brother, Oshana Nissan, who wasn't well known in the Assyrian community apart from his affiliations with the KDP.[35] The report also stated that many of the votes that came to Oshana were through Kurdish votes from Kirkuk and areas ofErbil with no Assyrian population, as well as voter intimidation against Assyrians in Duhok.[49] TheAssyrian Democratic Organization also criticized the party and Hakkari for their affiliation with Kurdish groups during Iraqi elections.[50]
| Major political parties | |
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| Minor political parties | |
| Reserved Christian seats (5) |
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| Reserved minority seats (3) |
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| Unrepresented in parliament | |
| Banned |
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| International | |
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| National | |
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