Assyrian-Syriacs march to Lausanne The march from Bern to Lausanne by Assyrian-Syriacs living in Switzerland has finished its third day. The march's Planning Committee said that the aim of the activity was to have the treaty reviewed and for the Assyrian-Syriacs to be granted their rights. Assyrian-Syriacs living in exile are marching from Bern to Lausanne to protest the Lausanne Treaty, which was signed 78 years ago. HAYRETTIN KARA The march, organized by the Bethnahrin (Mesopotamian) Freedom Party (GHB), started out for Lausanne from in front of the Federal Parliament in Bern. The marchers had reported marched past the Civil Defense Center in the village Flamat, near the city of Friburg, the other evening. In a statement to our newspaper, the march Planning Committee stressed that the Lausanne Treaty had led to the Assyrian-Syriacs being torn from their own land and that their aim with the march was to let the world know about the historical injustice which had been committed against them. The statement said that their message was not only for Turkey but also for all the countries which had signed the treaty that led to the people being driven from their own land. The statement said that the march, which had begun with 150 people the other day, had grown to 180 people with new participants along the route. It was reported that the marchers were approaching Bulle on Sunday, and they are expected to arrived in Lausanne on Monday. They will hold a meeting on July 24, which will be the 78th anniversary of the Lausanne Treaty, in front of the historic chateau in which the treaty was signed. The Assyrian-Syriacs will call to the Western countries at the meeting, asking them to review the treaty which brought them repression and denial 'Lausanne must be rewritten' Iskender Denho from the Assyrian-Syriac Lausanne March Planning Committee and Kurdistan National Congress (KNK) member George Aryo stressed, in statements they made to our newspaper, that the Lausanne Treaty was unjust and that they would continue activities to overcome this injustice. 'Our activities will continue' Making a statement to our newspaper on behalf of the Planning Committee, Denho said that the Lausanne Treaty had ignored the people and minorities and left them faced with policies of denial. Denho called attention to the conditions under which the treaty was signed, noting that despite the fact that France, England and other states which preserved their presence in the region had given various promises to the Assyrian-Syriac people, they had not fulfilled those promises even though 78 years had passed. Denho said that they would continue their activities to get all international institutions to take action for the rights of their people. Denho noted that Turkey was able to carry out any type of denialist and repressive practices it wanted because the countries which had signed the agreement had not stood behind their promises, adding, "It is out in the open that there was ethnic cleansing as a result. Thus, we, as Assyrian-Syriacs, will continue our activities to protest this situation and decipher it." KNK member Aryo: We support it KNK member George Aryo stressed that they thought the Assyrian-Syriac march was appropriate and well timed, and said that the KNK supported the march. Aryo noted that articles 35 and 37 of the Lausanne Treaty had granted certain rights to the Christian people but that only the Armenians, Greek Orthodox, and Jews, who were officially recognized as minorities in the treaty, were able to take advantage of those rights, while the Assyrian-Syriac people had never been able to make use of the same rights. Aryo said that compensation for what had been brought by the Lausanne Treaty could only be realized by completely invalidating the treaty and creating a new international agreement with representatives of the people. Aryo said that these types of activities were new for the people, adding the following: "They may not immediately realize its value. But, in our opinion, this is a historic event. It is a great sacrifice. This activity is a recognition, reaction, rebellion against the injustice done to our people by the countries which signed the Lausanne Treaty. It is an appropriate event and we support it."
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