We declare, in clear and unambiguous terms, our firm rejection of the project to establish new government complexes within the center of the Bartella subdistrict. We caution against actions being carried out under administrative or service-related justifications that, in reality, constitute deliberate attempts to alter the demographic structure of the city and undermine the legal and historical rights of its indigenous population.

The project currently proposed cannot be considered a natural service initiative. It involves the establishment of three government departments within a single government complex in the heart of Bartella, on lands that were unlawfully seized and remain legally disputed. These lands belong to citizens from Bartella who previously filed official complaints that have yet to be resolved. More alarming still, these lands were previously confiscated under decisions issued by the now-dissolved Revolutionary Command Council, rendering their current use legally invalid and ethically unacceptable, and reflecting a serious violation of property rights and the rule of law.

Persisting with this project clearly reveals a premeditated intent to impose a fait accompli while bypassing all administrative and legal procedures. The administrative authority of these directorates falls under the governorate center rather than subdistrict administrations, making this deviation from the administrative hierarchy a concerning precedent. Such actions aim to entrench state institutions within an Assyrian city without the approval of its legitimate representatives or consideration of its demographic particularities. 

What is happening in Bartella today is merely an extension of a previously applied approach--most notably in the case of establishing the Shiite Endowment Directorate, which was imposed on the city despite the subdistrict council's rejection, despite the absence of proper land allocation, and through a personal decision by the then Minister of Municipalities, without any legal cover or administrative justification. That decision constituted a blatant violation of local authorities' powers and opened the door wide to the series of transgressions we are witnessing today.

Serious questions must therefore be raised before the public and oversight institutions: Why is Bartella being repeatedly targeted? Why is there a consistent focus on locating government complexes within the center of the Assyrian subdistrict of Bartella, while other subdistrict centers in the governorate are excluded? The repetition of such projects in one city cannot be explained except as part of a policy of gradual demographic change, implemented quietly under official cover and at the expense of its original residents.

We clearly warn that silence today amounts to indirect complicity in the crime. Should these violations continue, we will be compelled to open the entire Bartella file, revealing all facts and documents related to demographic change, land seizures, and violations against the property of the city's residents from 2006 to the present, and present them to local and international public opinion without exception.

We hold governmental, executive, and judicial authorities fully responsible, legally and morally, for the consequences of this dangerous course. We demand the immediate suspension of the project, the opening of a transparent investigation, and respect for the will of Bartella's people and their constitutional rights, before it is too late.

Bartella is not unclaimed land, and it will not be a testing ground for demographic engineering or the imposition of projects by force.

Ablahad Hana Saka is Member of the Bethnahrin National Council (MUB).