Bethnahrin National Council ܡܘܬܒܐ ܐܘܡܬܝܐ ܕܒܝܬܢܗܪܝܢ | |
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| Chairman | Mikhail Naim Hadodo[1] |
| Preceded by | Bethnahrin Freedom Party |
| Ideology | Assyrian nationalism |
TheBethnahrin National Council orMesopotamia National Council (Classical Syriac:ܡܘܬܒܐ ܐܘܡܬܝܐ ܕܒܝܬܢܗܪܝܢ,romanized: Mawtbo Umthoyo d'Bethnahrin, MUB), formerly theBethnahrin Freedom Party (Classical Syriac:ܓܒܐ ܕܚܐܪܘܬܐ ܕܒܝܬܢܗܪܝܢ,romanized: Gabo d'Ḥirutho d'Bethnahrin, GHB) and thePatriotic Revolutionary Organization of Bethnahrin (Classical Syriac:ܛܘܟܣܐ ܕܘܪܢܝܐ ܡܬܢܝܐ ܕܒܝܬܢܗܪܝܢ,romanized: Ṭukoso Dawronoyo Mothonoyo d'Beth Nahrin, PROB) is a militantsocialistAssyrian-Syriac party in theDawronoye movement, whose stated goal is autonomy for Assyrian-Syriac people, either as an independent state[3] or some other structure, inBethnahrin, theAssyrian homeland.[2] The organization is allied with multiple parties within theKurdistan Communities Union (KCK), including theKurdistan Workers Party (PKK) and the SyrianDemocratic Union Party (PYD).[2] The council has active political party affiliates in Iraq, Lebanon and Syria.
The Patriotic Revolutionary Organization of Bethnahrin was formed in the 1990s byAssyrian-Syriac nationalists who previously fought within thePKK againstTurkey.[2]
The group carried out its first attack alongside thePKK against aKurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) military compound in the town ofQasre on 17 July 1999, where 39 KDPPeshmerga fighters were killed and 20 injured.[4] Three days later a second attack was carried out by the group in which several ofMassoud Barzani's fighters were killed when aPeshmerga army truck driving on a bridge betweenQasre andHaji Omeran was blown up by the PROB. The group claimed both attacks were to avenge the death ofAssyrian woman Helene Aloun Sawa, who was raped and killed by the Peshmerga.[4]
On 24 July 2000, approximately a hundred members of the PROB forced entry in a governmental building inLausanne,Switzerland. PROB wanted to attract the attention of the Swiss government and media to issues relating to the Assyrian-Syriac people, especially in relation to their treatment in Turkey. They emphasized how the 1923Treaty of Lausanne denied the Assyrian-Syriac people in Turkey theirnational rights and oppression faced by Assyrian-Syriacs in Turkey.[5]
At its first congress in 2000, the PROB reorganized as the Bethnahrin Freedom Party,[2] which was listed as aterrorist organization by theTurkish government in 2001. According to Wladimir van Wilgenburg, the GHB's founder, Numan Ogur, was kidnapped in 2003 after an attempt to try to leave the organization.[3] During theinvasion of Iraq in 2003, the GHB cooperated withPatriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) Peshmerga, hoping to gain political influence in Iraq.[2]
In 2005, the Bethnahrin Freedom Party changed its name to the Bethnahrin National Council. The council stated that it may resume military operations inIraq,Syria, orLebanon. Its affiliate in Syria is theSyriac Union Party (SUP). During theSyrian civil war, the SUP has established two military organizations in 2013,Sutoro and theSyriac Military Council (MFS). The group began to cooperate with other parties in theRojava region, such as theKurdishYPG, theSyrian Democratic Council and its military wing, theSyrian Democratic Forces.[2]
From 25 to 27 May 2016, the 8th conference of the Bethnahrin National Council was held in Switzerland.[1]
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