ASSYRIANS SCRIPT December 2nd jb
1 |
Sunset
Dayayto stares down at village |
COMM 00.03 They are the indigenous people of the region. But today, they’re being driven from their home land. |
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2 |
Deyreto (2shots) |
I won’t leave my church until
my last breath. |
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3 |
Eli shines torch on skeletons |
COMM In this film I uncover a legacy of terror. |
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4 |
Shamoun Gallo |
They pulled her out from the bodies She’d been stabbed 7 times |
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5 |
ISIS guys in masks |
COMM It’s a story of violence that continues to this day. |
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6 |
Lady |
00.30 Their son was murdered in front of us |
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7 |
COMM |
COMM Those trying to rebuild a nation admit the scale of the challenge. |
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8 |
Al JABBOURI |
00.41
How do you take away the fear... from the Christians and Yazidis? This has become a deep scar |
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9 |
Eli on NPU Convoy |
COMM While the victims now trust no-one but themselves. |
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10 |
NPPU COMMANDER? |
00.52 We, the people of the city… have the right to defend it |
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11 |
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COMM I travel across South-East Turkey and Iraq in search of the Last Christians |
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14 |
TITLE |
LAST CHRISTIANS |
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15 |
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COMM 01.20 My journey begins here in South East
Turkey. It’s a landscape shaped by
monasteries, churches and ancient temples. Today, most are deserted. |
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15A |
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COMM In the ancient Aramaic language this
region is known as Tur Abdin, the Mountain of
Worshippers. I want to discover what’s happened
to the people who still speak this language. |
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15B |
CAR GOING THROUGH RUINS
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COMM 01.49 My guide is Eliyo Eliyo, born in Turkey, raised in Sweden. He’s returned to his homeland on a mission to record what he fears is a disappearing culture. |
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16 |
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ELIHO SYNC 02.11 The historical record of the original people here… is being eliminated 2.19 These stones bear witness to the blood that’s been shed I decided to
document the heritage we’ve lost 02.38 Our villages,
churches, monasteries and
other sites 2.45 That’s why I stayed. |
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16A |
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COMM 03.00 Eliyo comes from the Syriac Orthodox Community, one of the several
Christian denominations often referred to collectively as Assyrian. They
regard themselves as a single people, and trace their ancestry back to the
ancient Assyrians, thousands of years before Christ. They also share the same Semitic
language, Aramaic. |
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16 B |
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UPSOUND CHANTING |
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16 C |
ADD UPSOT ARAMAIC BITE |
COMM 03.33 It’s the language that Jesus Christ
spoke. They keep it alive in their homes and in their religious ceremonies. |
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16 D |
MAP1 |
COMM 03.30 The original Assyrian homeland stretches eastward from Urfa in Turkey to Lake Urmia in Iran, and south from Diyarbakir to the Plains of Nineveh in Iraq. |
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17 |
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COMM 04.05 Like most Christians of Tur Abdin, Eliyo is descended from
the survivors of a massacre that took place just over a hundred years ago.
This is one of those
secret places. |
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18 |
ELI ARABIC |
ELI PTC 04.29 04.27 It’s really difficult to describe (...) Scores of corpses and bones They could be relatives 04.38 Or people who don’t
know each other They’ve all been united in death Those small skulls
could be children 04.50 It’s really disturbing An awful sight |
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19A |
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COMM 04.54 I’m told that these are the bodies
of ordinary Syriac Christians, slaughtered during World War 1 by the Turkish Army
and Kurdish tribesmen. Later their corpses were dragged to
this cave, where they’ve been hidden for over a century. |
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19B |
ARMENIAN GENOCIDE PICTURES |
COMM 05.14 The mass murder of up to one and a
half million Armenian Christians is well known. It’s frequently
referred to as the Armenian genocide. Far less familiar is the massacre of
hundreds of thousands of other Christians, in the so-called Assyrian
genocide. Both events are vehemently disputed by the Turkish government. 05.40 We’ve been asked not to disclose the
cave’s location. The details of this mass murder are still so controversial
that people fear the Turkish authorities might remove the evidence. |
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20 |
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COMM 05.56 And memories are still raw. Shamoun Gallo’s grandmother barely survived
one of the massacres. |
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21 |
SHAMOUN GALLO ARABIC |
GALLO sync 06.04 They took them towards the village of Shtrako 06.09 On the way, they started to kill them 06.11 366 people were killed 6.13 They were left where they fell. 06.17 The next day they searched the women and girls, BIT LONG? 6.25 BIT SHORT for gold, jewellery,
earrings and necklaces 06.27 Then they found a
girl, my grandmother alive and moving 06.34 In
the midst of the bodies 06.36 Imagine the scene, 366 bodies lying on the ground They took her from the mass
of bodies She’d been stabbed seven times |
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COMM 6.48 I too have a personal connection to
these events. This is my ancestor, Leonard Melki. Like me, he was a Christian from Lebanon. Before the First World War he was sent as a missionary to Turkey. |
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22 |
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FARES SYNC 7.02 This picture was taken in 1911 Father Leonard was returning to Baabdat |
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COMM In 1915 Leonard was imprisoned, tortured and then killed by the Turkish authorities. My cousin Fares Melki has been researching his story. |
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23 |
FARES
MELKI ARABIC |
07.23 Every time I look at it… 07.30 I get rather emotional This picture made me become interested… in the life of Leonard
Melki |
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24 |
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COMM 07.44 Very little is
known about Leonard’s death. We do know he was murdered while on a forced
march from Mardin to Diyarbakir. One amongst many
thousands of victims. |
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25 |
ELI
MELKI ARABIC |
ELI PTC 07.58 I want to know more about the events leading to Leonard’s death 08.07 And how it was bound up with the fate Christians in the area
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26 |
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COMM 08.18 There’s a special
word in Aramaic for these massacres. It’s Seyfo,
which means the Sword. |
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27 |
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But the violence didn’t
end in 1915. It’s never stopped |
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28 |
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COMM 08.37 Eliyo Eliyo fears the remaining Christians of Tur Abdin will be driven from their homeland. Their numbers have dropped from fifty thousand in the 1980s to just two and a half thousand today. |
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29 |
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ELIYO SYNC 8.52 This is the village of Boté. An Assyrian village. There are no Assyrians there… They emptied …in the eighties the last family in the beginning of the .. in the eighties they left..
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30 |
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COMM 09.07 During the 1980s and 90s, the PKK, or Kurdish Workers Party, fought a brutal guerrilla war with the Turkish military. |
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31 |
VILLAGE GUARDS |
COMM 09.19 Some of the Kurds who supported the Turkish government against the PKK were given guns. They became known as the village guards. 09.32 The Christians claim these Kurds used their new weapons to force them from their villages, occupying their homes and taking their land. |
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32 |
ZAZ SHOTS |
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33 |
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COMM 09.49 One village Zaz,
has become renowned for its one last Christian. Known simply as ‘Dayrayto’,
which means the Nun, Mariam Gokmen says she lives
in a state of siege, surrounded by hostile Kurdish families. |
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34 |
MARIAM
GOKMEN TOROYO/KURDISH |
DAYRAYTO SYNC 10.08 I will never leave my church until my last breath. 10.14 When I die, God knows what will happen. 10.19 I became a hostage in my own church |
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35 |
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COMM 10.28 Eliyo Eliyo lives
quite near Deyreto. He visits regularly, bringing her provisions. Her fresh water
supply has been cut off. 10.43 Until the PKK insurgency fifteen Assyrian families lived in Zaz. Dayrayto says they were all
forced from their homes by the Kurdish village guards. 10.55 |
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36 |
MARIAM
GOKMEN TOROYO/KURDISH
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THE NUN 11.00 The Christians of Zaz were more and more oppressed The local Kurds were
threatening the remaining families It was harvest time The Christians were prevented from harvesting their
crops So
they left their homes and emigrated |
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37 |
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COMM 11.19 Some of the Christians’ houses have
since been occupied by the Kurds. Dayrayto accuses them of harassing her. Trying to force her to leave |
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38 |
MARIAM
GOKMEN TOROYO/KURDISH |
DAYRAYTO
SYNC 11.34 They have threatened and humiliated me Recently... They killed both my guard dogs… to leave me without protection |
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39 |
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COMM 11.47 We wanted to speak to the Kurdish neighbours but they refused to be interviewed. Dayayto says they’ve profited from farming
land that belongs to the Christians. |
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40 |
MARIAM GOKMEN TOROYO/KURDISH
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DAYRETO 11.55 They’re ploughing and harvesting the crops Grapes, almond, sumaq(,) and anything else worth
money My villagers get nothing 12.10 This is the situation What can we do? The
Kurds don’t own any houses here All belong to the Christians |
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41 |
Ali - extend the
shot |
COMM 12.21 One local Kurd did agree to speak to me. 12.24 Fezzullah Aslan is the brother of one of Dayrayto’s neighbours. Although he does not live in Zaz, he’s become Mayor of the village. He tells a different story. |
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42 |
Fezzullah Aslan TURKISH |
FEZZULLAH SYNC 12.35 I am the mayor of the village. 12.38 I have told her before I’d prevent anyone hurting or threatening her The nun is now under my protection.. |
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43 |
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COMM 12.48 The mayor also disputes Dayrayto’s claim that the Christians were forced out, and
that their houses have been illegally occupied. |
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44 |
MARIAM
GOKMEN TOROYO/KURDISH |
FEZZULLAH 13.02 Those who live there now have the Christian owner’s permission In
reality, the Kurds are
now the inhabitants of the village. |
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45 |
ELI LOOKING AT LAPTOP
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COMM 13.05 I contacted some of the Christians
from Zaz, who are now living in Germany. They confirm Dayrayto’s
account. They state they were terrorised
(grammer) from their homes and they have not given
permission for the Kurds to occupy their houses. |
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46 |
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COMM 13.24 Until her Christian neighbours feel safe to return, Deyreto will continue her lonely vigil. |
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47 |
Eli comm a little fast here |
COMM 13.34 Eliyo Eliyo says that when he was 10 (7) years old, his family too were among those forced to leave their
village by armed Kurds. |
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48 |
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ELIYO ELIYO 13.44 Why can’t (take out not) the Assyrians live in peace? Why do the Kurds need to change the demography? In every single Assyrian village it’s the same. The people’s gone, so what is left is the evidence of Assyrian presence. The churches the monasteries. All the other things. So they destroyed them. |
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49 |
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COMM 14.15 We arrive at the village of Derqubé. Here there’s a Syriac Orthodox family who have
refused to leave. The Danhos
are the only Christians left in a village where once there were twelve
families. Despite everything that’s happened, they intend to raise
their children here. |
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50 |
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COMM 14.40 Melki Danho
is the patriarch. During of the fighting in the 1990s his family were victims
of both sides. First it was the PKK. |
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51 |
MELKI
DENHO TOROYO |
MELKI DENHO SYNC Translation
of Danho 14:54
They came two or three times for bread They pointed guns at us We said we couldn’t
give them bread They said, ’'But you slaughter goats for the military and the
village guards” 15.08 They said they could
kill us all‘ We were forced to give
them bread ELIYO 15.18 You mean the PKK came
and… you were forced to give
them bread? (still
over a cut) So you were oppressed by both sides? 15.26 That’s
right That’s
how we were forced to leave our village 15.34 They
came several times 16.37 They
burned down the village, the vineyards and the hillsides They
demolished our houses so we couldn’t come back |
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52 |
DANHO
TOROYO |
15.45 They forced us out so
they could live here They put a gun in Khajo's mouth…. and told him admit
that 30 people (MEN) had been in our house if not
they shoot him He was a little child then They harassed us every
day. What we have experienced,... Believe me ! 16.06 Enough now |
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53 |
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COMM 16.08 The
family were forced to leave their village. Seven
years later, when they returned, they discovered that some Kurds had had
their names added to the local land registry. This made them joint
owners of land that had previously belonged only to the Danho
family. |
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54 |
DENHOS
TOROYO 1 |
MELKI - 16.26 You can see also how they
have made themselves co-owners For instance, this is the
deed... which is in my father's
name, Hacho, can you point out where (lose
?) 16.35 ELI (English) - So, this is the name, this is his name,
their father? This is his father’s name, and all of these are the people
claiming that they are the partners of the father? YES 16.50 MELKI -
If they
really own anything they would own each piece separately. They wouldn’t be joint owners They own nothing. |
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COMM 17.03 The Danhos have had to launch separate legal cases to recover each of their 54 pieces of land. They recently won the first two, and are waiting for the court to decide the rest. |
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55 |
Driving shots |
COMM 17.17 Meanwhile their
fields lie fallow because, they say, the new joint owners are blocking their
use. |
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56 |
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COMM 17.30 With Khacho and his brother Eyyup in the back, we go in search of the people who’ve laid claim to the Danho land. |
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57 |
show more of Shamus SOUND |
COMM 17.41 We meet Sehmus Hajo. His family have(Eli says has) long been neighbours of the Danhos. Sehmus’s grandfather, a Kurdish clan leader, saved the Denho family from almost certain death during the massacres of 1915. |
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58 |
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COMM 17.58 But now his clansmen are amongst those claiming the Danhos’ land. Sehmus says they’re wrong to do so. |
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59 |
SEHMUS
HAJO TURKISH Sehmus uses Suryan |
SEHMUS 18.09 These people are still persecuting the Asyrians of the region
We’ve lived together for centuries, but some people are still oppressing the Christians In Derqube, without you knowing, they made themselves co-owners of your land 18.34 In Derqube Muslims never bought a single
piece of land Derqube
belongs to Assyrians It will
remain theirs. |
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60 |
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COMM 18.46 Sehmus’s respect for the law would seem to outweigh his clan loyalty. But like many other Kurds, his family have lived peaceably with their Christian neighbours for generations. |
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61 |
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COMM 19.01 The long drawn out assault on their houses and farms
is forcing the Syriac Christians to quit their homeland. 19.16 They leave behind them a landscape of ruins, symbols of a people who never really recovered from the massacres of the Seyfo, just over a century ago. |
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62 |
ELI
MELKI ARABIC |
ELI PTC 19.28 After the massacres during World War 1, the Christians of Turkey fled to Iraq and Syria |
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63 |
MAP 2 |
COMM 19.37 Some survivors from Tur Abdin headed south to Syria. Most of those from Hakkari and Urmia fled into Iraq. |
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64 |
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COMM 19.52 Many came through these mountain passes. For centuries they’ve been a lifeline between what are now Turkey and Iraq. |
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65 |
ELI
MELKI ARABIC |
ELI PTC 20.04 This valley in northern Iraq…. is the closest to the Hakkari mountains The ancestral homeland of many Iraqi Assyrians They walked on this path in their hundreds to seek
refuge in Iraq, 20.16 away from death and oppression |
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66 |
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COMM 20.24 In northern Iraq they found refuge amongst a long-established population of fellow Assyrians. But here too, they’ve become the victims of other people’s wars. |
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67 |
IRAQ MOUNTAIN SHOTS TURKISH BASES |
COMM 20.39 The evidence is unmistakable. We’re well inside
Iraqi Kurdistan, but these military bases are Turkish. They scan the valleys below for the PKK, who also operate on this side of the border.
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67A |
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COMM 21.01 Just as in Turkey, this imported conflict, now more than 30 years old, has sucked in the local Assyrians.
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68 |
MIKHAIL
BENJAMIN ARABIC |
21.09 In the early nineties, we became victims Both of a foreign group, the PKK, and local forces fighting
it 21.23 We’re an indigenous people who’ve become a minority So we’ve become the weakest element…. in the conflict between more powerful forces. |
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69 |
GRAVEYARD From 42.15 |
COMM 21.33 Mikhail Benjamin is an Assyrian activist whose family fled from Turkey after the Seyfo massacres This is his village graveyard, in the valley of Nahla. |
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70 |
MIKHAIL
BENJAMIN ARABIC
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MIKHAIL BENJAMIN 21.44 Our biggest problem is that we live in an area of conflict 21.51 For example the conflict in the 60s between the government and
the Kurds (THIS IS CROSSING OVER THE CUT) We were the victims 22.01 It was the same situation for us during the Iraq-Iran war |
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71 |
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COMM 22.05 As a consequence Mikhail’s village has been repeatedly destroyed and rebuilt over the last 50 years. |
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72 |
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COMM 22.13 He wishes to introduce me to relatives who’ve suffered from the turmoil.
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73 |
* |
COMM 22.24 His 86-year-old uncle, Enwyia, has lived in the valley all his life. He tells me he’s been a victim both of Saddam Hussein’s regime, and the Kurds. |
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74 |
ENWIYA ASSYRIAN |
ENWYIA 22.31 We were persecuted by our neighbours We left several times… but we never let go We always come back to our land |
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75 |
ENWIYA ASSYRIAN |
ENWYIA 22.41 Our house was burnt down four times Every time I rebuild
it 22.49 Even after all this suffering, I haven't left |
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76 |
ENWIYA ASSYRIAN |
ENWIYA We’ve remained here until this day 23.04 They still want to
uproot us but we won't leave This is our homeland, we won’t leave |
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77 |
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COMM 23.09 Cousin Mark’s
family were forced to flee the valley to Australia in the 1990’s. |
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78 |
Mark Moshee
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MARK SYNC (ENGLISH) 23.16 We are indigenous… This is our land even though we had to leave, but this is really our land. ELI So are you worried about the future, in a way? MARK We do have a big worry. It’s mainly because of what is
happening here. When we left we still felt we had
roots here and we are still connected.
But at the moment .. this is… I think now we
feel that we are… tree has been ripped from the roots and we are going to
disappear. |
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78 A |
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COMM 23.49 Mikhail has a new project. He’s recording the
Aramaic names of all the local animals and plants. Before they, along with
his people, become extinct. |
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79 |
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COMM 24.08 Here in Northern Iraq, just as in southeast Turkey, the Assyrians claim that more powerful neighbours are seizing their land. |
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80 |
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COMM 24.22 Like this gravel quarry. Once it was farmland belonging to local Assyrians.
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81 |
SABAH ALI |
COMM 24.31 Sabah Toma is descended from survivors of the massacres in Turkey. He tells me his land is being illegally exploited by the Zebaris, a powerful Kurdish clan. |
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82 |
Eli
MELKI ARABIC |
ELI 24.43 Where are the borders of your land? |
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83 |
SABAH
TOMA ARABIC |
SABAH 24.45 It starts
from piles of stones over
there It ends by
those buildings Over there
by the trees We call it Plot
No. 4 on the
agricultural map 25.02 This bank
of the river….. all belongs to us. But they’ve
built quarries and
factories on it We never got
a penny from this
land |
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84 |
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COMM 25.15 Sabah says there’s not much he can
do about it - even though he knows who took the land. |
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85 |
SABAH
TOMA ARABIC |
SABAH Farzander has taken everything. He is accountable to nobody He is immune He became a member of Parliament. |
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86 |
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COMM This man, Farzander Zebari, insists he’s entitled to use the land. |
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87 |
Farzander Zebari KURDISH |
FARZANDER 25.38 There are surveyors who can check the land There were
some problems…. but
they’ve been sorted out by the
local administration Anyone who
feels their rights been abused… 25.53 is free to
ask the courts to
defend them |
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88 |
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COMM 25.57 Sabah wants to show me a document. He says it’s an agreement that requires Farzander Zebari to return the land to its Christian owners. |
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89 |
SABAH
TOMA ARABIC |
SABAH TOMA 26.07 Sheikh Taher Al Shushi and Kameran Abdallah, One is from the Prime Minister’s office and one from the office of the president of the Kurdish Government SABAH I can see it clearly in Arabic (Is this translation correct?) ELI 26.20 ‘To return all
Christian lands used by Mr Ferzander back to the
owners’ To confirm the location of the village’ NINEB LAMASSU His name is Farzander. Farzander Zebari. |
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91 |
NINEB LAMASSU ARABIC |
THIRD MAN 26.33 Those
are signatures of the seven owners The deputy governors 26.41 Qasem Abdul Samad Abdullah and Khalil Mahmoud Ous But he (Farzander) hasn’t signed He refused to sign |
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92 |
26.53 |
COMM 26.52 The signatures don’t seem to count for much, because nothing has been done. According to Farzander Zebari, the documents aren’t even valid.
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92AA |
Farzander Zebari KURDISH |
ZEBARI SYNC 27.07 The administrative and
judicial establishments have issued no orders… regarding problems between owners and farmers |
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92B |
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COMM 27.17 I heard that in Kurdistan there are scores of cases like Sabah’s. Few are ever settled. |
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93 |
Eli
MELKI ARABIC |
ELI 27.27 What would happen if you lose the case? |
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94 |
SABAH
TOMA ARABIC |
SABAH TOMA 27.30 We would be forced
to leave the land and
emigrate My father never found peace in this land Neither have I, nor will my children I am forced to pack and leave |
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94 A |
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COMM 27.43 And, just as in Turkey, Assyrians here believe their culture is being erased. 27.50 High above the city of Dohuk are these ancient sculptures. They’re from the time of the Assyrian empire, nearly three thousand years ago. |
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94B |
NINEB LAMASSU ARABIC |
NINEB 28.03 These carvings go back to 700BC (Should there be a space?) They were commissioned by King Sennacherib He drew his power from
these gods They gave him the strength to become a great ruler |
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94 c |
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COMM 28.24 Nineb Lamassu is a Christian, but he also sees himself as a direct descendant of these ancient Assyrians. |
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d |
NINEB LAMASSU ARABICBut there must be a better place to
write it than an historical site |
ELI - 28.34 How significant is this place to you as an Assyrian? NINEB It’s hugely important NINEB It is part of our
identity That’s why they’ve vandalised it Look at the damage “God is great” Of
course God is great 28.54 But there are more appropriate place to write these words |
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e |
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COMM 28.55 The reliefs have recently been defaced. Kurdish
flags and graffiti had to be removed by foreign experts. |
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f |
NINEB LAMASSU ARABIC |
NINEB 29.04 Some people sprayed the Kurdish flag on These carvings aren’t Kurdish… They’re Assyrian This is also an Iraqi legacy The legacy of global
civilization 29.22 This vandalism is an attempt to erase the Assyrian Identity 29.27 ‘If humans stay silent, then the rocks will speak” 29.33 These rocks would say they are Assyrian |
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BUS ext Singing UPSOT |
29.36 Urmia,
Urmia |
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95a |
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COMM 29.38 When Assyrians get together, they still sing in
celebration of their ancient homelands. 29.47 Hakkari, Hakkari 25.50 I’m joining this coach party travelling from Dohuk, in Iraqi Kurdistan, towards the Plains of Nineveh in Iraqi government territory. |
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95b |
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COMM 29.59 They’ve come from overseas, and I want to find out how they see Iraq today. They’re called Gishru,
which means bridge – the bridge between West and East. All have family stories of persecution and flight. |
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96 |
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MELINDA: 30.14 I had great grandparents who had fled to America at the same time of the genocide and then to Russia, fled to Iraq and tried to resettle there, and then had to flee again. It’s been a… since we were babies we heard about the atrocities that happened to us. PETER: I have relatives, yea, that were definitely involved in Sayfo. I mean we heard about it. Our parents spoke about it. But it was my personal curiosity and interest in the matter, you know, to learn more about myself, more about my history, and some of the atrocities that were committed against our people. 20.57 NINURTA: I was born here. My family escaped when I was 6 years old, so we left this country, fled, and came to the States as refugees, as immigrants. So my parents did a phenomenal job of bringing up my sister and I and teaching us about our homeland, our country, and preserving our language. So I had to come back and see it. |
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31.10 THIS COULD BE CUT BETTER TOO. |
COMM 31.16 Now we’re crossing the Plains of Nineveh, on our way
to the ancient Christian town of Al Qosh. |
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98 |
THIS NEEDS RE-CUTTING TOO |
COMM 31.26 Legally this area is administered by the Government of Iraq. In reality it’s been controlled by the Kurdish Peshmerga since 2004. |
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COMM 31.37 Much to the outrage of the Gishru
tour leaders, as they encounter this Kurdish check point. |
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99 |
*Kim questions whether we can state that the flags are illegal. |
SUZY 31.42 Everybody everyone, Gishru, Gishru.
You guys, all these Kurdish flags that are placed here are all illegally placed here. This is another form of propaganda. This is another form of oppression. |
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100 |
Checkpoint
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COMM Whether or not the flags should be here, the Kurdish
checkpoint is illegal. It’s on land officially administered by Iraq. |
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101 |
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Joe: 32.05 The basic purpose of this is just to make people leave. You know, it’s frustrating and disappointing for us, and we’re just visitors. Imagine how the people who live in this village feels like, the way they deal with this every day. Suzy: There’s no Kurds in Al Qosh. And for them to impose this and… It’s just… Sorry, I’m just really pissed off. Seeing all these flags is making my blood boil. |
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102 |
DRIVER ASSYRIAN |
DRIVER 32.26 He’s calling his commander
Honestly, what’s going on? Nothing, he only wants to know where you are from May we speak with them? No, I’ve asked SUZY What does he want, then? DRIVER He is calling his commanding officer. oh god yes, why? This is the way it is. |
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103 |
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COMM 32.56 Finally, we’re allowed through. We have to keep the camera out of sight. |
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104 |
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Suzy: 32.58 At the end of the day, when they see a camera crew that is going to be reporting, you know, in the West, and they do not want the truth to be unveiled basically. They know what they’re doing, everything that they’re imposing on us, and they don’t want that leaving this area. Joe: They’re
essentially trying to quarantine the truth. Suzy: Exactly. |
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105 |
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COMM 33.18 In Al Qosh, most of the people are Christians belonging to the
Chaldean Church.
Outside the town,
it’s largely Yazidis. Kurds form less than ten percent of
the population. |
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COMM 33.34 This is the Nineveh Plains Protection Unit, the NPU. They’re the first armed Christians the Gishru group have seen.
The Iraqi government supports the Unit, but in Al Qosh its authority is restricted just to the town – so as not to provoke the Kurds. According to the local commander, foreign backers
are unwilling to fund the Assyrians. They prefer other Iraqi minorities. |
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CAPTAIN FOUAD ASSYRIAN/ARABIC |
CAPTAIN 34.03 They are helping others, Like the Yazidis They've helped the Yazidi forces a lot But not us JOE (SYRIAC) Why do you think
that is? Why are they helping the Yazidis and not the Assyrians? CAPTAIN: There is pressure from the Iraqis, and from other
ethnic groups in Iraq They don't want our
forces to become strong 34.36 That's what I think 34.41 I also think, it’s because we're among Kurds They’re saying it’s they who have protected these areas "We are the ones who have protected these areas…. So they ask why they should give arms to local people |
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108 |
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COMM 34.58 Some of the Gishru group
suspect the west may even have a policy not to support Christians. |
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109 |
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JOE (ENGLISH) 35.04 My opinion is, it’s because we are Christian. It’s kind of become like taboo now for western countries to help the Christians out in the Middle East because they are a privileged class. Even though that’s not the reality at all on the ground. |
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110 |
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COMM 35.24 For now, the NPU is mostly funded by Assyrians
living abroad. |
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111 |
35.33 NEED MUSICAL STING HERE |
COMM 35.32 Alqosh is strategically situated at the foot
of the Zagros mountains. |
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NEED SOUND OF MAP UNROLLING |
COMM 35.39 By maintaining their military presence here, the
Kurds are defying the Iraqi government.
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112 |
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CAPTAIN FOUAD 35.47 The Peshmerga and the Kurdish secret police control this area The northern part of the Nineveh Plain has been cut in two. 35.54 This part is under Peshmerga control The other is under Iraqi army control Lower case a |
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COMM 36.01 The Peshmerga’s role in the region is
both legal and justified, according to the Governor of Dohuk. |
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113 |
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GOVERNOR
36.09 It’s
not true to claim we control Alqosh illegally We’ve
never said these areas are
part of Dohuk We say they’re in a disputed zone 36.2o Dohuk provides security and other services to Alqosh 36.28 If
it is proved that a town… does
n’t belong to Kurdistan, we’ll
hand it back to its residents If
the Christians don’t want the Peshmerga there, I
invite them to formally request that our forces leave |
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119 |
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COMM 36.52 There are no peshmerga here. I‘ve come 70 kilometres south from Al Qosh, to where the Nineveh Plains Protection Unit are visibly in charge. This is Qaraqosh, in government
controlled Iraq. 37.10 It’s the country’s most populous Christian town.
And in 2016 Christian forces helped liberate it from so-called Islamic
State. |
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ELI NEEDS TO CHECK TRANSLATION jjjjj |
ELI PTC 37.22 The
commanders of these forces.. insist
they can provide security
for this area They hope
that in future they will form the core of a force … that guarantees the security for minorities in
this part of northern Iraq |
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121 |
CHECK POINT |
COMM 37.41 At the town’s checkpoints they need to be on their mettle. IS terrorists are still operating in the region. The commander of the Protection Unit hopes that when peace finally returns, his men’s presence will become permanent. |
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122 |
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37.59 ELI - Can you secure the safety of the Christians on the Nineveh Plain? BRIGADIER JAWAD ZACHARIA - We
can achieve this We proved this when we recaptured this town, alongside the heroic Iraqi army
We fought side by side, street by street 38.19 We liberated the city |
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123 |
CHANGE PICS |
COMM 38.23 There’s another reason the Christians of Qaraqosh want their own defence force. They don’t trust anyone else. 38.32 Before the creation of the NPU, people here expected
the Peshmerga to defend them.
But they say that when IS attacked in August 2014,
the Kurds let them down. |
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124 |
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BRIGADIER 38.45 The Peshmerga were here They did not fire shot We suffered because IS fighters could come and go as they pleased Then IS shelled us, killing three children |
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126 |
A097C734 A097C735 A098C773 AA098C774 A098C775 |
COMM 39.04 Back then, this Christian militiaman was alongside
the Peshmerga. 39.09 He says that when IS attacked Qaraqosh, the Kurds
retreated. But, before they left, they took away the Christians’ weapons. |
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127 |
LOOK AT SYNC |
MILITIA MAN SYNC 39.20 Around three o’clock we got a written order to bring our weapons. We kept only one gun for guard duty. They took the rest At one post we had seven rifles They took six, leaving one behind. That’s what happened. |
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128 |
FOOTAGE OF DOHUK |
COMM 39.43 It’s an allegation that is rejected by the Governor
of Dohuk. |
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129A |
Governor of Dohuk Ferhad Atrushi |
GOVERNOR 39.49 As far as I know, the Christians weren’t armed All over Iraq, groups and parties have their armed forces and militias As far as I know Christians never had any armed forces. After the Popular Mobilisation Units were formed, there were some Christian forces As far as I’m aware, Christians never liked guns If someone doesn’t have a gun, how can you disarm him? |
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The Christians of Qaraqosh accuse the Kurds
of deserting them without warning. |
COMM 40.22 But the Christians of Qaraqosh go even further. They accuse the Kurds of deserting them without warning. |
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125 |
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MILITIAMAN SYNC Eli
40.33 Did the Peshmerga tell you they were withdrawing? 40.37 They didn't inform us. They didn't warn us It happened all of a sudden At around 12 or 1pm I was at home I could see that the Kurds were there 40.50 At 3pm they withdrew. I’d even asked them What the was situation like They said,was
all OK If it's OK, then fine 41.01 We went for dinner At 3pm they suddenly withdrew
This is what happened. |
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126 |
IS THIS WORKING WITH JUST THIS SYNC |
BRIGADIER 41.14 This was a very bad experience for us We had to leave our town. We left our money and possessions. We fled to safer areas |
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127 |
USE LETTER TO GOVERNOR over laid back
shot of Qaraqosh ruins. |
COMM 41.29 We asked the Governor of Dohuk
to respond to the allegation that in August 2014 the Kurds left the
Christians of Qaraqosh to their fate at the hands of IS. The Governor has not responded to our letter. |
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129 |
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COMM 41.47 500 Christians have enlisted in the NPU, and a further 2,000 have applied to join. But will their presence encourage others to return to Qaraqosh? Since the town was recaptured, only half the original population have come back.
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130a |
ADD MUSIC THEN PAUSE THE COMM |
COMM 42.12 In Mosul, 30 kilometres away, even fewer have returned. On the west bank of the Tigris is what’s left of Mosul’s
old city. Its ancient churches are lost in the debris.
In 2003, 50,000 Christians lived here. Despite the
expulsion of IS, almost none have returned. |
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130 |
LAY MUSIC IN EARLIER Eli at the Ankawa service |
COMM 42.50 Many fled to the Kurdish capital, Erbil. |
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COMM 43.01 Among them is the Archbishop of Mosul, Mor Nicodemus Dawood Sharaf. Today, he’s presiding over the Easter service at the
Syriac Orthodox Church, in Erbil. |
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131 |
THE OUT DOES NOT WORK. |
ARCHBISHOP 43.16 There are almost no Christians in Mosul A few have to commute there each day, because they might lose their jobs or university places Each evening they return to Dohuk and elsewhere |
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132 |
UP SOUND 0R MUSICAL STING IDP camp |
COMM 43.46 This camp for internally displaced people is nearly
empty now. Some have returned to their villages, while others have emigrated
abroad. Those who remain are mostly from Mosul. 44.04 Members of the Gishru
group have come here to meet them. |
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134 |
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INTERVIEW WITH FAMILY 44.10 Question: If the situation improves in Mosul, would you go back? No We’re afraid for our kids But my husband has to make work trips there But as a famliy? 44.21 No, I wouldn’t, I am too afraid Q: How were your neighbours in Mosul Did they take your property? Our neighbours were good to us But people from other areas came with IS It was IS who forced us to leave Our neighbours were nice people |
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COMM 44.36 Other Christians, were forced out even before IS arrived |
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LADY |
44.40 Other people received threats. One neighbour’s son was murdered… in front of us |
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135 |
0 |
COMM 44.52 This wasn’t the Christians’ first experience of
persecution. It had been going on for years.
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139 |
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exterior - wide shot ARCHBISHOP DAWOOD 45.00 IS didn't
just start in 2014 45.03 It began
with the collapse of the Iraqi regime …. and the fall of Saddam’s dictatorship in 2003 We were expelled from
Mosul four times before ISIS arrived 45.19 In 2005, calls were broadcast from Mosul's minarets ’Don't buy Christian
properties: You'll get them as war booty’’ |
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140 |
MILITARY CONVOY IN MOSUL |
COMM 45.30 So is it safe to return? In East Mosul, IS has been defeated. At least for
now. General Najm AL Jabouri
oversaw the city’s liberation. He’s now the commander of Nineveh Province. |
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141 |
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ACTUALITY |
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142 |
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COMM 45.54 He’s taking me to the central market, to show me how
safe it is here now. |
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143 |
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ACTUALITY 46.00 Any issues? No, no, no |
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144 |
Christians |
COMM 46.01 General Al Jabouri was born in Mosul and like most people here, he’s a Sunni Muslim. He doesn’t pretend that enticing the Assyrians back is going to be easy. |
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145 |
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GEN. AL JABBOURI 46.15 I will be honest Most of the people
of Mosul were misled 46.23 They were misled by IS Many saw IS
as the saviour, as angels That’s why they agreed with the ideology of IS |
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GENERAL AL JABBOURI CONT’D 46.42 This isn’t Islam, It’s a conspiracy to ruin the image of
Islam, and tear apart Iraqi
society They succeeded to a certain extent God willing, many
people have seen them for what they are We were able to defeat them Now we must work to re-create harmony among the Iraqi people. The Christians are the original people of this country. 47.21 The Assyrians are the original people |
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SOUND ,VOICES, LOOSE COMM 47.30 I wonder if these people will ever recover from the
trauma of persecution. Its a huge challenge for
General al Jabbouri. |
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146 |
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GEN. AL JABBOURI 47.38 This has become a deep scar, I admit It needs healing It needs a cure It needs time It will take time to rebuild trust |
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147 |
ELI AND Samaan family Christians |
COMM 47.52 Despite the general’s assurance, the scars may be
just too deep. I went back to the IDP camp. Now that much of Mosul
is secure, I wanted to ask the Samaan family if they’d consider returning.
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148 |
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ELI 48.10 Are you thinking of
going back to Mosul? RACHEL JOSEPH Absolutely not. ELI Are you
thinking about emigrating? We wish Australia, France, anywhere What we saw in Mosul was too much Kidnappings, slaughter, explosions 48.32 Each
time we left the house, we thought we’d never come back That I’d never see my wife and kids again Praise be to God |
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149 |
NEW COMM Over family shots. |
COMM 48.43 Families like the Samaan are joining what’s become
an exodus of Assyrian Christians. |
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151 |
ACTUALITY BISHOP DAWOOD |
COMM 48.54 Archbishop Dawood has seen Iraq’s Christian population collapse from one and a half million in 2003 to a mere quarter million today. He believes they need more than just fine words and
promises. |
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152 |
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ARCHBISHOP 49.12 We have become a minority We are in need of protection and we don't care who gives it to us 49.21 It can be Western or Eastern, an external or internal power We need someone to help us stay in our historic homeland… our ancestral land 49.29 We do not want to leave Iraq or our Christian villages Mosul, Baghdad or Kurdistan. This is our land |
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154 |
ERBIL |
COMM 49.47 The Kurdish capital, Erbil, was once an ancient Assyrian city. The famous citadel was built on the ruins of
preceding generations… many of them Assyrian. |
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156 |
ELI PTC
End shot. Look at Erbil GVS of the mound and citadel. |
ELI 50.03 Above me here are layer upon of layer of ancient civilisations, stretching back at least five thousand years. The Ancient Assyrian level is half way up. As I have been traveling through this shattered region of the Middle East, this region of conflicting cultures nations and civilisations I have begun to wonder, sadly if we are not witnessing the deposition of another historical level. That of the Assyrian Christians. |
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AKITU |
COMM 50.37 Every year, Northern Iraq’s Assyrian community
gathers to assert its identity. UPSOUND 50.47 This is the spring festival of Akitu,
an ancient word meaning barley cutting.
It’s been revived recently, but can be traced
back nearly 7,000 years.
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||||
158 |
|
COMM 51.03 Some costumes are intended to demonstrate continuity
with the pre-Christian past. The military uniforms signal the Assyrians’
determination to control their future. |
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||||
159 |
|
COMM 51.20 The presence of visitors from abroad is a reminder
that there are more Assyrians in the diaspora than in their original
homeland. |
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||||
160 |
|
NORAH 51.33 Being born in London and being able to come back and just see the strength that people have, and the innate pride that they have in who they are in, in the face of so much persecution,
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161 |
Kurdish security forces in AKITU |
COMM 51.45 But visiting the homeland isn’t the same as coming back to live in it. And whose homeland is it anyway? When the real security is provided by the men from Kurdish Special forces.
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162 |
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COMM 52.00 For now, expatriates and locals can celebrate their
shared Assyrian history and culture. But without a change of attitude from the region’s
majority populations, and positive action from their governments, this
ancient people may well disappear 52.23 |
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163 |
CREDITS |
52.46 |
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