For the past few weeks, the windy city was anticipating the arrival of the once teen who fled his homeland Turkey seeking political asylum in Europe. His next stop was nothing short of a series of unpleasant incidents ~ crossing borders and pleading his case to prove his worth to be granted official residency.

But now that he has reached his final destination, one thing is clear, Sabri has proven that while some men have a calling in life, others do become legends, and the growing pains from the past become “seyfos” (swords) from which they draw their strength.

In his lecture, “The Forgotten Assyrian Genocide,” Atman clearly demonstrated the Turkification of the Assyrians, likewise the Armenians and the Pontian and Anatolian Greeks in a historical timeline beginning in 1843.

For the past ten years, the Seyfo Center for Assyrian Genocide has gazed its focus on “education,” particularly in Europe, where it has hosted more than one thousand genocide lectures and promoted genocide publications, such as “The Forgotten Genocide,” “Massacres, Resistance, Protectors,” and “Seyfo: The Assyrian Genocide in International Law,” to name a few, along with information brochures and booklets which have become widely-spread.

Among its notable achievements, the Seyfo Center has visited with and pleaded the Assyrian Genocide before Europe’s Parliament (Belgium), the Swedish Parliament, and Great Britain’s House of Commons. The results have been groundbreaking! Ironically, Sweden, the country which once fought very hard to deport Sabri back to Turkey, has been the first in the world to recognize the Assyrian Genocide, where it won by one vote (131 to 130), issuing a formal recognition of the Assyrian Genocide on March 11, 2010.

Currently, “Seyfo” is closing-in on Europe’s Parliament to become the second to recognize the Assyrian Genocide. And if “Seyfo” gains more financial and political support, it has estimated that in the next five years, twenty countries will have formally attested to and recognized the Assyrian Genocide, including Armenia, Greece, Switzerland, Austria, Belgium, and the United Nations.

When asked for his opinion about Turkey’s reaction to Sweden’s recognition of the Assyrian Genocide, Sabri said “In 1915, 3 million people ~ the Assyrians, Armenians and Pontian and Anatolian Greeks were systematically killed by the Turkish government and their lands taken away. Yet, Turkey continues to deny the genocide it has committed against these people, and spends an annual $400 million to sweep the genocide saga under the rug.”

“It is a fact that Turkey is not happy with the activities of “Seyfo Center’s,” but as its representative and an Assyrian patriot, I don’t care about them and I will not rest until Turkey (and the Kurds) apologizes to my people and pay for its heinous crimes.” Sabri went on to say “and it won’t be long until we teach U.S. President Barak Obama how to say the word “Seyfo” in Assyrian (Suryoyo).”

Sabri Atman’s recent trip to the United States, a guest of the Assyrian Aid Society, included lectures in Los Angeles and Arizona, and in Chicago where he was hosted by the Assyrian National Council of Illinois.

Forthcoming plans for “Seyfo” are to open educational and research centers in Chicago, New York and Los Angeles in United States.

Sabri Atman was born in Nsewin (Nseeben), Tur-Abdin in Southeast Turkey. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics and Political Science studies.

For more information on the Seyfo Center for Assyrian Genocide, please visit www.seyfocenter.se  

Helen Talia, MBA, CPA
www.helentalia.com