Editing Assyrian Democratic Movement (section)

== History ==

The Assyrian Democratic Movement was founded on April 12, 1979 after several meetings held in secrecy in [[Kirkuk]], [[Mosul]] and [[Baghdad]]. The party was established among various smaller cultural-political and student groups such as the Assyrian Brothers, with the hope of fulfilling the political objectives of the [[Assyrians in Iraq|Assyrian people in Iraq]], in response to the oppressive brutality of the [[Baath Party|Ba'ath]] regime and its attempts to forcibly expropriate [[Ethnic group|ethnic]] Assyrians from their native lands. The ideology of the movement stemmed from Assyrian cultural awareness that had developed in [[Urmia]] and [[Elazığ|Harput]] during the [[Assyrian independence movement]]. The movement took up armed struggle against the Iraqi regime in 1982 under the leadership of Ninos Pithyou with the primary focus of defending Assyrian villages, and joined the Iraqi-Kurdistan Front (IKF) in the early 1990s.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.atour.com/adm/docs/history.htm|title=Assyrian Democratic Movement - History|website=www.atour.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Profile: Assyrian parties |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/not_in_website/syndication/monitoring/media_reports/2588611.stm |website=BBC |date=14 January 2003 |access-date=3 October 2018}}</ref><ref name="auto">{{cite book |last1=Donabed |first1=Sargon |title=Reforging a Forgotten History: Iraq and the Assyrians in the Twentieth Century |date=February 2015 |publisher=Edinburgh University Press |isbn=9780748686056 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bwLdCQAAQBAJ&q=assyrian+democratic+movement&pg=PT156 |access-date=3 October 2018}}</ref>

Since its inception, the ADM have joined with the Iraqi patriotic factions in the fight against dictatorship. The movement has also participated in the political field since 1982 alongside other groups. It started by issuing its central newspaper, ''Bahra'', in June 1982.  In 1988, fighter members of the movement and its headquarters as well as the rest of the Kurdish parties were attacked in the [[Al-Anfal Campaign]]. ADM participated in the [[1991 Iraqi uprisings|1991 uprising]], then won seats in parliamentary elections for the Kurdistan region of Iraq in 1992.

The ADM is credited with the development of education in the [[Syriac language]] in both elementary and secondary schools as well as the initiation of different organizations such as the Chaldo-Assyrian Students' Union, Hammurabi Scouts, Assyrian Women's Union of Iraq and the Assyrian Aid Society.

The ADM has endured a struggle through the sacrifice of its martyrs' in the arena of armed struggle. On 14 July 1984, the Saddam led regime attacked ADM locations in Baghdad, arresting more than 150 members of the movement who were imprisoned in the notorious [[Abu Ghraib prison]]. Twenty-two members were sentenced to life imprisonment, and four were sentenced to death where  [[Yousip Toma]], [[Youbert Shlimon]] and Youkhana Jajo were hanged on treason charges.  Jamil Matti and Sheba Hamey were later killed by the Iraqi Army while safeguarding the villages of Hejerke and Pireka in [[Simele]]. Relatives of ADM members were also imprisoned, tortured and murdered for their connection to the movement.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.atour.com/news/assyria/20031220a.html|title=The Heroes of the Assyrian Democratic Movement|website=www.atour.com}}</ref><ref name="auto"/>

Some ADM members were victims of political assassinations such as [[Francis Shabo|Francis Yousef Shabo]] who was allegedly assassinated by [[Wahid Kovli]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ekurd.net/mismas/articles/misc2010/6/state3940.htm|title=Murderers of Iraqi Kurdistan MP Francis Yousif Shabo lives in KDP controlled regions|website=ekurd.net}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=The Heroes of the Assyrian Democratic Movement|url=https://www.atour.com/news/assyria/20031220a.html|access-date=2022-01-03|website=www.atour.com}}</ref>