Minister Nicholson Condemns ISIL's Abduction of 90 Assyrian Christians

News Release

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**February 24, 2015 -** The Honourable Rob Nicholson, P.C., Q.C., M.P. for Niagara Falls, Minister of Foreign Affairs, today issued the following statement:

“Canada is appalled by the reported abduction by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant \[ISIL\] of at least 90 people from Assyrian Christian villages in northeastern Syria and calls for their immediate release.

“The ongoing severe oppression of religious and ethnic communities that reject ISIL’s extremist ideology underscores the barbaric nature of ISIL’s terrorist ideology and actions.

“Canada supports the aspirations of the Syrian people to democracy and freedom and their efforts to establish a pluralistic, democratic society that protects the rights of all Syrians, regardless of faith, allowing them to live in peace.”