Hurmiz Malik Chikko (), also sometimes spelled Hormiz Malek Chikko, (1934 - December 2, 1963) was an Assyrian advocate and army leader. He led the Assyrian armed struggle against the ruling

Ba'ath Party The Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party ( ' ), also known simply as Bath Party (), was a political party founded in Syria by Michel Aflaq, Salah al-Din al-Bitar, and associates of Zaki al-Arsuzi. The party espoused Ba'athism, which is an ideology ...

in Iraq from the late 1950s until his death in 1963 and promoted Assyrian autonomy in the

Nineveh Plains Nineveh Plains (, Modern ; ; ) is a region in Nineveh Governorate in Iraq. Located to the north and east of the city Mosul, it is the only Christian-majority region in Iraq and have been a gathering point for Iraqi Christians since 2003. Control o ...

during his life.

Early life and family

Chikko was born in 1934 in the village of Diana, Northern Iraq. He was the son of Malik Chikko of the clan of Dadosh, Upper Tyari, and the nephew of Malik Yaqo D’Malik Ismail, the leader of Upper Tyari Tribe. His older brother was Gewargis Malik Chikko, another Assyrian advocate who was the head of the High Committee of Christian affairs in Iraq and a founding member of the Chicago-branch of the Assyrian Universal Alliance.

Assyrian activism

Chikko commanded the Assyrian front against the Iraqi Ba’thist Regime in the late 1950s and early 1960s. His goals were to gain autonomy for Assyrians in Iraq, protect Assyrian and

Yazidi Yazidis, also spelled Yezidis (; ), are a Kurdish-speaking endogamous religious group indigenous to Kurdistan, a geographical region in Western Asia that includes parts of Iraq, Syria, Turkey, and Iran. The majority of Yazidis remaining in ...

lands in the northern Iraq from

Arabization Arabization or Arabicization () is a sociology, sociological process of cultural change in which a non-Arab society becomes Arabs, Arab, meaning it either directly adopts or becomes strongly influenced by the Arabic, Arabic language, Arab cultu ...

and Kurdification policies, and to protect the local Assyrian and Yazidi communities from the crossfire of the conflict between the Iraqi Central Government and

Kurdish Kurdish may refer to: *Kurds or Kurdish people *Kurdish language ** Northern Kurdish (Kurmanji) **Central Kurdish (Sorani) **Southern Kurdish ** Laki Kurdish *Kurdish alphabets *Kurdistan, the land of the Kurdish people which includes: **Southern ...

leadership.

Death

Chikko was killed in the Battle of Aloka on December 2, 1963, at the age of 29, along with six other Assyrian fighters. His death was thought by many to be a turning point that would allow for even more persecution of Assyrians in Kore Gavana, the Assyrian village that he lived in for most of his life. Kore Gavana, along with many other Assyrian-majority villages in Iraq's

Dohuk Governorate Duhok Governorate (, , ) is a Governorates of Iraq, governorate in the autonomous Kurdistan Region of Iraq. Its capital is the city of Duhok. It includes Zakho, near the Ibrahim Khalil border crossing with Şırnak Province, Turkey. It borders ...

, were eventually annexed by the

Kurdistan Regional Government The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) is the official executive body of the semi-autonomous Kurdistan Region in northern Iraq. The cabinet is selected by the majority party or list who also select the prime minister of the Iraqi Kurdish poli ...

Legacy

Chikko is viewed by many Assyrians and Yazidis today as a martyr for their protection during a time of instability, as well as a martyr for the Assyrian nationalist cause. He and his family are mentioned in the Assyrian songs ''Chikko'' by Sargon Gabriel and ''Korehgawana'' by Juliana Jendo. There was controversy among the international Assyrian community during the

2017 Kurdistan Region independence referendum An independence referendum for the Kurdistan Region of Iraq was held on 25 September 2017 in Kurdistan Region, with preliminary results showing approximately 92.73 percent of votes cast in favour of independence. Despite reporting that the in ...

, when an image of Chikko's statue in the village of Kore Gavana covered with Kurdish flags was surfaced. This was seen by many Assyrians as an attempt by the Kurdistan Regional Government to Kurdify Chikko's Assyrian nationalist legacy.

References

Assyrian nationalists Assyrian military leaders Iraqi Assyrian people Iraqi Christians 1934 births 1963 deaths Guerrillas killed in action {{Iraq-stub