A new book documenting the Assyrian genocide has been released. Written by Turkish author Kemal Yalçın and translated into Swedish by Fehmi Barkarmo (former president of the SEYFO Center in Sweden), the book is based on oral testimonies of genocide survivors.
The Swedish title of the book is:
VI BLEV SLAVAR PÅ VÅRA EGNA MARKER
(We Became Slaves on Our Own Land)
First-hand Accounts of Genocide Survivors
What the Book Is About
The book primarily recounts the experiences of the Erçin family during the Seyfo genocide. It details how various family members were murdered, the extreme hardships endured by survivors, and the betrayal they faced from Kurdish neighbors—many of whom had formerly worked as shepherds and gatekeepers for Christian Assyrian households.
In addition to these personal testimonies, the book also documents cases of oppression faced by Assyrian men during their military service in Turkey, where they were harassed, beaten, and nearly killed—solely because they were Christians.
What makes the book especially compelling is its level of detail. The testimonies include the names of victims and perpetrators, the specific locations, dates, and outcomes of each event. This depth of documentation lends the book a high degree of credibility and makes it a valuable source of information on the experiences of Christian Assyrians in the village of Kerburan during and after the genocide.
