04/20/2015

No sign of life for two years: Please help to ascertain the fate of two abducted Bishops from Aleppo!

An open letter to Christian Wulff, former President of Germany

Dear Mr. Wulff,

April 22 will be the second anniversary of the kidnapping of two bishops from Aleppo in northern Syria. There has been no sign of life of Mor Gregorios Yoanna Ibrahim, archbishop of the Syrian Orthodox Church, and Boulos Yazigi, Archbishop of the Greek Orthodox Church, ever since. We are deeply concerned about the two Christian dignitaries, but have not yet given up hope to see them alive again. Two years ago, the bishops had been on their way to negotiate about the release of a kidnapped priest when they were ambushed. Their driver, a deacon, was shot. They two bishops were abducted. So far, no one has claimed responsibility for the act.

The bishops had repeatedly called for a peaceful coexistence of the different ethnic and religious groups in their country. Again and again, they had advocated for reconciliation, forgiveness and dialogue, trying to find ways to end the violence in Syria. Following a suggestion by the Society for Threatened Peoples (STP), the city of Weimar had honored the two bishops with the city's Human Rights Award in 2014, acknowledging their commitment as mediators, ambassadors and human rights advocates in the ongoing civil war. Today, we are calling on you to help us ascertain their fate.

According to reports by German, Turkish and international media, the Government of the Republic of Turkey has great influence on the armed forces operating in northern Syria – the region in which the bishops were kidnapped. Therefore, we would like to ask you to contact the government in Ankara and Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the Turkish President, in person to ask the Turkish authorities to help solve the kidnapping.

You, Mr. Wulff, have acquired renown in Turkey and beyond for your constructive public statements concerning the role of Islam in today's German society. Please use your reputation to help the Christians and all people of Syria. The two bishops from Aleppo were traveling as ambassador of peace. The people in the civil-war-shaken country desperately need bearers of hope such as these two archbishops!

With kind regards,

Tilman Zülch, president of the Society for Threatened Peoples International

Stefan Wolf, Mayor of the City of Weimar

 

The appeal is supported by:

Anba Damian, General Bishop of the Coptic Church in Germany

Mor Julius Dr. Hanna Aydin, Syrian Orthodox Bishop

Ali Ertan Toprak, Chairman of the Kurdish community in Germany

Mehmet Tanriverdi, President of the Federal Society of Immigrant Associations in Germany (BAGIV)

Daniyel Demir, Chairman of the Federation of Aramaeans in Germany

Telim Tolan, Central Council of the Yezidis in Germany

The Assyrian association Zentralverband der Assyrischen Vereinigungen in Deutschland und Europäischen Sektionen

The Kurdish association KOMKAR (Verband der Vereine aus Kurdistan in Deutschland)

The Central Council of Oriental Christians in Germany (ZOCD)

The Assyrian Democratic Organization (ADO)