On September 3, 2026, the Santa Clara County Democratic Central Committee adopted a resolution submitted by the Assyrian Democrats of the Bay Area reaffirming support for the rule of law and the protection of Iraq’s Indigenous Assyrian community.

The resolution points to more than three decades of documented reporting by the U.S. Department of State, the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, and Human Rights Watch, showing a consistent pattern of unresolved land disputes and unenforced court rulings affecting Assyrian-owned property in northern Iraq — where Iraq’s Christian population, the majority of whom are Indigenous Assyrians, has fallen from roughly 1.5 million before 2003 to fewer than 150,000 today.

It follows a peaceful gathering of hundreds of Assyrians in Duhok on July 6, 2026, demanding enforcement of existing court decisions protecting their ancestral lands, and a subsequent public invitation from the Government of Iraq for displaced Christians to return — an invitation independent observers have cautioned is unlikely to succeed without enforcement of existing legal protections.

The resolution calls on the Government of Iraq and the Kurdistan Regional Government to ensure timely, consistent enforcement of court decisions protecting Assyrian-owned land, and urges that any return initiative be paired with enforceable guarantees of property restitution and security. It further calls on the U.S. Congress, the State Department, and the international community to continue monitoring enforcement, and directs that the resolution be transmitted to California’s congressional and state legislative delegation and relevant federal agencies.

Co-sponsors: Democrats for Palestinian Rights – Bay Area; Bay Area Iranian American Democrats; Silicon Valley Democratic Club (Sousan Manteghi, President); Silicon Valley Young Democrats

Supporter: The Honorable Anna Eshoo, former U.S. Representative (CA-16)

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Full Resolution Text

Resolution Reaffirming Support for the Rule of Law and the Protection of Indigenous Assyrians in Iraq

Submitted by the Assyrian Democrats of the Bay Area, a chartered club of the Santa Clara County Democratic Party

WHEREAS, in 2023, the Santa Clara County Democratic Party adopted a resolution recognizing the cultural significance of Iraq’s Indigenous Assyrian community and calling for support of their security and property rights, and more than three decades of documented reporting by the U.S. Department of State, the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, and Human Rights Watch has established a consistent pattern of unresolved land disputes and unenforced court rulings affecting Assyrian-owned property in northern Iraq, where Iraq’s Christian population — the majority of whom are Indigenous Assyrians — has declined from approximately 1.5 million before 2003 to fewer than 150,000 today; and

WHEREAS, on 6 July 2026, hundreds of Assyrians gathered peacefully in Duhok to demand enforcement of existing court decisions protecting their ancestral lands, and days later the Government of Iraq publicly invited displaced Christians to return, though independent observers have cautioned that such invitations are unlikely to succeed absent enforcement of existing legal protections; and

WHEREAS, the consistent enforcement of judicial decisions — not merely their existence — is the central obstacle facing Iraq’s Indigenous Assyrian community, and equal justice under the law and the protection of religious and Indigenous minorities are core democratic values;

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Santa Clara County Democratic Party reaffirms its support for the rights and safety of Iraq’s Indigenous Assyrian community, calls upon the Government of Iraq and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) to ensure the timely and consistent enforcement of existing court decisions protecting Assyrian-owned land, and urges that any initiative encouraging the return of displaced Christians be paired with enforceable guarantees of property restitution and security; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Santa Clara County Democratic Party calls upon the U.S. Congress, the U.S. Department of State, and the international community to continue monitoring enforcement of judicial decisions affecting Iraq’s minority communities, and that a copy of this resolution be transmitted to California’s congressional and state legislative delegation and relevant federal agencies.

Co-Sponsors: Democrats for Palestinian Rights – Bay Area; Bay Area Iranian American Democrats; Silicon Valley Democratic Club (Sousan Manteghi, President); Silicon Valley Young Democrats

Supporters: The Honorable Anna Eshoo, former U.S. Representative (CA-16)

Adopted by the Santa Clara County Democratic Central Committee on September 3, 2026.