BEIRUT: Hundreds of Assyrians marched in Downtown Beirut Saturday in solidarity with their brethren abducted by ISIS in Syria earlier this week.
The marchers chanted slogans in their native language and carried signs that read: "Assyrians are the indigenous people of Mesopotamia," "We demand action from the United Nations," and "Save the Christians in the Middle East."
The protesters began their afternoon march at Martyr's Square and headed towards the U.N.'s nearby ESCWA building.
An activists group earlier this week reported that no less than 220 Assyrian Christians were abducted from their homes by ISIS in northeastern Syria.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said they were kidnapped from 11 villages in the Hassakeh province, and that thousands more have fled their homes to avoid capture.
But on Saturday, the Observatory said that 29 of the kidnap victims were ordered released by an ISIS Sharia cout in the countryside of Tal Tamer.
An Assyrian commander "confirmed to SOHR that they communicated with [ISIS] through mediation with [ISIS] jurists who informed us that the kidnapped Assyrians of the other villages will be brought in front of the Sharia courts to decide on their verdict," the group wrote in a statement posted to its website.
ISIS releases Assyrian captives: report
Assyrian refugees begin streaming into Lebanon
Many Assyrians unable to enter Lebanon
Your feedback is important to us!
We invite all our readers to share with us their views and comments about this article.
Disclaimer: Comments submitted by third parties on this site are the sole responsibility of the individual(s) whose content is submitted. The Daily Star accepts no responsibility for the content of comment(s), including, without limitation, any error, omission or inaccuracy therein. Please note that your email address will NOT appear on the site.
Alert: If you are facing problems with posting comments, please note that you must verify your email with Disqus prior to posting a comment. follow this link to make sure your account meets the requirements. (http://bit.ly/vDisqus)
Jordan's capital Amman says it is replacing the orange jumpsuits worn by its city cleaners because of their similarity...
Beirut’s Criminal Court approved Tuesday the release on bail of Ibrahim Bashir, the former head of the Higher Relief...
King Abdullah II of Jordan warns that an Israeli-Palestinian peace deal is essential for combating Islamic extremists,...
A sea of parishioners stood before their priest Sunday morning at the St. Georges Assyrian Church in Jdeideh, hands...
Education Minister Elias Bou Saab warned Tuesday of the high risk of Syrian, Palestinian and Iraqi refugee children of...
Around 95 captives have escaped an ISIS-run prison in northern Syria, an activist group said Tuesday, adding that the...
Libya's elected parliament has asked the United Nations to postpone talks intended to end a power struggle for one...
FOLLOW THIS ARTICLE