A long-time philanthropist and activist, Nadia Cavner engages in a variety of meaningful endeavors locally, nationally, and internationally. This is an example of a heart-breaking action recently taken against an Assyrian couple.
During the week of January 11th, a mysterious disappearance occurred within the Turkish Christian community that has sent shockwaves through towns and villages. It turns out, while many details are still a mystery, this was a deliberate kidnapping of two targeted individuals. The victims are Houmouz Diril and his wife Simoni, the last Christians living in that particular Assyrian-Chaldean village, both elderly and sick.
The kidnapping took place in the afternoon of January 11th in the south-east Turkish village of Meer (Kovankaya, ayaırnak province). Witnesses reported that a group of “unidentified men” entered their home and removed them forcibly, taking them to an unidentified and unknown location. This kidnapping came after almost a decade of intimidation and repeated requests to the couple from Turkish authorities to abandon the area—but the couple has repeatedly rejected those requests. While the outcome remains unclear, the intention of the kidnappers is clear: they wish to remove any trace of their Christian neighbors.
Local and regional church leaders have denounced the kidnapping and have made an appeal for the release of Houmouz and Simoni as well as Christian brothers and sisters around the world to pray for this outcome.
There has been no update to this story as of 2/26/2020.
~Nadia Cavner
www.nadiatcavner.com
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