In a solemn official and popular attendance…the victims of Soria buried in their village

Rivan Alhakim
Ankawa.com – Dohuk – Soria
In an atmosphere mixed with sadness and joy and in a ceremony characterized by

official and popular attendance, on Friday the remains of the victims of the massacre of Soria, that occurred in 1969, was transferred. 39 martyrs were murdered at that day, among them 25 Christians and 14 of the brothers Kurdish Muslims.
At that time, the Ba’ath officer Abdul Karim Algehichi release an order to execute all men and youths of the village after a landmine exploded on his patrol near the village. On that day the execution mixed the blood of Christians and Muslims in Soria to watering home land.
The funeral ceremony took place in Dohuk club stadium, located in the central of the city, after transferring the remains from Erbil to be buried in private cemetery in the village of Soria which prepared for this purpose.
The ceremonies began with a minute of silence in honor of the spirits of the martyrs. After that speeches were given by a number of speakers: Fathel Omer, Head of the Board of Dohuk Province, Aram Ahmed, Minister of Martyrs Affairs and representative of the Anfal in Kurdistan Regional Government, Georges Shelemon, the Deputy Governor of Dohuk, Fahmi Yousif, leader in the Popular Chaldean Syriac Assyrian Council and Yasin Karim, representing the Minister of Health and Director of the forensic medical department in Erbil. The speakers commemorate the victims of Soria massacre and the martyrs who sacrificed their blood to serve the march of freedom in their home land.
After that wreaths were placed on the remains of the victims. The coffins then transferred in a special military cars provided for this purpose and moved in long and wide procession heading to the village of Soria that located 60 kilometers from the city of Dohuk. The move was delayed after that for more than 20 minutes because of the poor road.
At the cemetery, a religious ceremony took place amid feelings of pain and sadness of the audience, especially the relatives of the victims were some of them came from foreign lands, especially for this occasion, carrying pictures of the victims and recalling on the heinous crime.
It should be mentioned that the Christian village of Soria had been subjected to a heinous crime by the ousted former regime on the 16th of September 1969, 39 men and youths were killed and nearly 55 were wounded.