A Demand For Action (ADFA): From a Social Media Campaign to an International Human Rights Advocacy Group and Aid Organization
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Joined June 2014
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A Demand For Action retweeted
Persecution of Christians has worsened in 55% of the 18 countries examined in Aid to the Church in Need’s report for 2024–2026. The pontifical foundation warns that 413 million Christians live in countries where religious freedom is seriously violated, leaving them at risk of persecution. Africa remains a major centre of violence, while concerns are growing over conditions in Asia and forced displacement.
vaticannews.va/en/church/new…
A Demand For Action retweeted
The continued targeted attacks against Christians in Ethiopia are completely unacceptable.
All parties to the conflict need to take steps to ensure that Christians and all people of faith are protected from this violence and that the perpetrators are punished.
A Demand For Action retweeted
More than 60 Christians killed in Ethiopia 'massacre', church official says bbc.in/4swbUDS
A Demand For Action retweeted
The Holy Synod of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church announced that 60 believers were killed in Arsi Zone over the past few days.
"Such a shameful act is completely unacceptable under the teachings of any faith or human rights protocols.'"
meseretmedia.org/p/60
A Demand For Action retweeted
🚨 Oromia Region forces and former Oromia parliament official implicated in planning of massacre of Orthodox Christians in Shirka Woreda, Arsi Zone
New accounts emerging following the October 24th, 2026, massacre of more than 47 Ethiopian Orthodox Christians in Shirka Woreda, Arsi Zone, Oromia Region, have raised allegations of advance coordination involving Oromia Region Repelola militia members, a former regional official and armed Islamist extremists.
According to local accounts, a commander of the Oromia Region Repelola militia contacted zonal authorities before the massacre, claiming that no OLA militants were operating in Shirka and instead identifying the local Orthodox Christian population as “Orthodox Fano.” The commander reportedly requested additional forces to carry out what he described as strong measures against them.
The accounts also identified Abdella Aman, also known as Abdella Micro, a former member of Caffee Oromia parliament, as allegedly involved in coordinating with Repelola militia members and individuals described as religious extremists. He was reportedly seen hosting meetings and providing hospitality to militia members ahead of the attacks. Additional accounts described supplies being transported to Birbo and Chole, while Islamic religious teachers in a mosque in Gobessa Town allegedly delivered speeches on Friday suggesting that an attack was being planned.
The allegations emerged following the October 24th killings in Chole and Sole Digelu, where church officials reported that more than 47 Orthodox Christians were killed, at least 18 others were hospitalized, and victims were buried at St. Raphael and St. Michael churches. Church leaders stated that they had repeatedly warned authorities about armed groups entering the area but received no effective response.
🚨 “We kept warning that armed groups were entering the area, but no one listened. They came and massacred the people!” — Shirka Woreda Church Official
On October 24th, 2026, more than 47 Ethiopian Orthodox Christians were killed and numerous others injured in renewed attacks by armed groups in Chole and Sole Digelu kebeles of Shirka Woreda, Arsi Zone, Oromia Region. According to testimonies provided to Tikvah Ethiopia by officials of the Arsi Diocese and Shirka Woreda Church Administration, the attacks began around 4:00 AM and continued until approximately 10:00 AM, leaving numerous civilians dead and at least 18 others hospitalized.
A Shirka Woreda Church official, speaking anonymously for security reasons, confirmed that 36 victims had already been buried at one location, while three additional bodies had subsequently been discovered and another three people were reported killed. Victims were buried at Chole St. Raphael and St. Michael churches, while at least one church was reportedly looted. The official described widespread fear, stating, “The people are burying those who were killed. Roads have been blocked in various places to prevent people from coming together. We do not know what will happen next.”
The latest killings followed earlier attacks in which six Orthodox Christians were killed and five others abducted. Church officials stated that they had repeatedly warned authorities about armed groups entering the area but received no effective response. “In recent days, we kept raising the alarm that armed groups were entering the area. Because no one was willing to listen to us, the armed groups entered and massacred the people,” the official told Tikvah Ethiopia.
An Arsi Diocese official described the worsening violence as unprecedented and appealed for urgent intervention, declaring, “Be our voice. We have not taken up arms. Be our voice.” The Shirka Woreda Church official also emphasized the community’s repeated appeals for protection, stating, “All we want is to live, but we are not being allowed to live. Even now, our message is that our right to life must be respected.”
A Demand For Action retweeted
🕯️💔 A Heartbreaking Day for the Greek Orthodox Christian Community in Jordan ✝️🇯🇴
Today, October 25, 2026, nine Greek Orthodox Christians were laid to rest in the cemetery beside St. George Greek Orthodox Church in the village of Hamoud, Karak, Jordan.
💔 Just two days earlier, on October 23, these nine innocent Christians were tragically killed at the very same church in an attack reportedly carried out by an Islamist extremist. Around 40 others were also wounded, leaving families devastated and an entire community in mourning.
🕊️🙏 May the souls of those who lost their lives rest in eternal peace. May God grant healing and recovery to the approximately 40 wounded, and strength, comfort, and courage to the grieving families and the entire Christian community.
✝️ No one should ever be murdered or persecuted because of their faith.
#Hamoud #Karak #Jordan #GreekOrthodox #StGeorgeChurch #ChristiansOfJordan #Assyrian #ChristianMartyrs #ReligiousPersecution #PrayForChristians #RestInPeace 🕯️✝️
A Demand For Action retweeted
DEADLY ATTACK AT CHURCH IN JORDAN
They gathered to bury a loved one. Then gunmen opened fire.
ADFA condemns today’s attack during a funeral at the Greek Orthodox Hamoud Church in Jordan’s Karak governorate. Jordanian authorities report six people killed and 28 wounded.
This video was shared with ADFA. We do not know who filmed it.
A Demand For Action retweeted
For our Assyrian Australian community, Nineveh represents an ancestral homeland, a living cultural connection, and a place deeply connected to the Assyrian language, identity, faith, and heritage.
Despite more than a century being repeatedly forced from their homes and their rights violated, surviving through devastations including the Assyrian Genocide and the Simele massacre, the Assyrian people seek a future in which all communities can live securely and participate meaningfully in public life.
I encourage the Australian Government to continue engaging with the Government of Iraq on the future of the Nineveh Plains, with the safe, secure, prosperous and enduring presence of its indigenous Assyrian people.
@NSWLabor @ChrisMinnsMP @ancauorg @youngassyrians @Zowaa_ADM @AssyrianJournal @AcoeANZ @AssyrianPolicy @dfat @nswparliament
A Demand For Action retweeted
#SouthernSyria | #Damscus: Armed Robbery of a Christian-Owned Gold Shop in the Heart of Damascus
Goldsmith Bassam Yabroudi, in the Sufl al-Tilla area of Bab Touma, was the victim of an armed robbery yesterday morning, October 17, 2026, when five armed individuals stormed the shop he owns.
According to details of the incident, the five gunmen entered the workshop and brandished their weapons at the goldsmith, demanding he hand over the gold inside the shop.
Members of the gang confronted neighbors with weapons, threatening them to prevent them from approaching or intervening, before seizing the gold in the workshop. As they fled the scene, the gunmen threw a grenade to cover their escape and create confusion among those present, sparking fear and panic in the area.
It is worth noting that HTS-led General Security militias are present throughout the area, close to where the armed robbery took place, yet they did not intervene at all, allowing the gunmen to leave freely, raising suspicion among local residents that the gunmen may belong to the security forces themselves.
A Demand For Action retweeted
🚨 A young #Druze activist who stood with her people in #Suwayda through the horrors of #Black_July has been found dead inside a completely burned restaurant in Mannheim, #Germany 🇩🇪
German police have established a special commission (“Funke”) after indications of possible external violence. Her body was discovered in the closed premises during the fire.
She spoke out for her community while threats and hostility toward #Druze in Germany intensified in the wake of the massacres.
‼️Full, transparent investigation is not optional, it is the bare minimum. Justice for Batoul. No more silence. 🕊️
#JusticeForBatoul #Druze #Suwayda #Mannheim #BlackJuly #StandWithDruze
#عاجـــــــــــــــل
وفاة الشابة بتول مكارم ابنة #بني_معروف إثر جريمة مروعة في مدينة #مانهايم في ألمانيا حيث وجد جثمانها داخل مطعم تم حرقه بالكامل ..
السلطات الألمانية لم تكشف عن الملابسات وإذا كان هناك شبهات جنائية او استهداف شخصي كون بتول كانت من فريق النشاطين المدنيين نصرة لأهلها في #السويداء وخاصة أثناء وبعد #تموز_الأسود
لروحك الرحمة والسلام بتول ..
A Demand For Action retweeted
We call on international human rights organizations to monitor and document this case and to seek protection for the detainees, witnesses, and their families against any retaliation. We will not accept the detention of someone who documented an assault, or families being forced to choose between paying for their sons’ freedom and their continued detention. Their release and accountability for those responsible are essential. This case will not be closed through a financial settlement or yet another assurance from the security authorities.
Yesterday, Joud Arab, Joseph Dweib, and Imad al-Abdallah joined the growing list of detainees from al-Suqaylabiyah, in an escalation that demands unequivocal condemnation and urgent accountability.
According to eyewitnesses, one of the three young men recorded the video documenting the assault, while the other two were detained on the basis of a malicious and unfounded complaint. Negotiations have reportedly begun over payments in exchange for their release. These accounts point to a dangerous pattern in which the very agencies entrusted with protecting citizens become instruments of punishment and pressure against them and their families, turning their freedom into a bargaining chip for financial extortion.
We hold the Ministry of Interior and the local security leadership responsible for the detainees’ safety. We demand their immediate release, an end to any financial demands tied to their freedom, and access to their families and lawyers. We also call for any official implicated in these practices to be removed from involvement in their detention pending an independent investigation, and for anyone found responsible for fabricating accusations, extortion, or ordering unlawful detention to be brought to justice.
We call on international human rights organizations to monitor and document this case and to seek protection for the detainees, witnesses, and their families against any retaliation. We will not accept the detention of someone who documented an assault, or families being forced to choose between paying for their sons’ freedom and their continued detention. Their release and accountability for those responsible are essential. This case will not be closed through a financial settlement or yet another assurance from the security authorities.
A Demand For Action retweeted
US bill targets Syrian officials accused of persecuting religious and ethnic communities
@RepMackenzie @AmericanSyriacU @indefchristians @esu_int | #Syria #SyrianMinorities #Syriacs #Armenians #Rûm #Kurds #Druze #Alawites #Yezidis #Jews #Shia
syriacpress.com/blog/2026/10…
A Demand For Action retweeted
On behalf of the American Syriac Union, we thank Chairman @BrianMastFL for his support of Syria’s persecuted minorities.
Our full letter highlights key policy recommendations toward a unified, inclusive, and democratic Syria.
#Syria #ReligiousFreedom #HumanRights #MinorityRight – at Washington, DC
A Demand For Action retweeted
The American Syriac Union welcomes @RepMackenzie’s Protection of Syrian Religious & Ethnic Minorities Act and commends his effort to protect vulnerable communities. We look forward to continuing our work with his office!
Bill: bit.ly/4jrazvw
PR: bit.ly/3VQSoWd
A Demand For Action retweeted
"Lawmakers Gus M. Bilirakis (R-FL-12), James R. Baird (R-IN-4), and Ryan Mackenzie (R-PA-7) said Khalil had been held without formal charges, denied access to legal counsel, permitted only limited and irregular family visits, and deprived of necessary medical care... The lawmakers urged @USAMBTurkiye to press Syrian authorities for action, arguing that Khalil’s continued detention without credible legal justification warrants intervention to secure his release."
teapaw.org/SyriacPress/status/211…
Three US Congressmen call for release of former Sadad mayor Suleiman Khalil in letter to US Syria Envoy Barrack
@RepGusBilirakis @RepMackenzie @RepJimBaird @CSI_humanrights | #SuleimanKhalil #Sadad #Syria #SyriaChristians #HumanRights #ReligiousFreedom #SyriacOrthodox #SyriaTransition
syriacpress.com/blog/2026/10…
A Demand For Action retweeted
International Idil (Azech) Syriac Federation calls on the Turkish Ministry of the Interior to intervene and to prevent further demolition of Syriac property in Beth Zabday
#BethZabday #Idil #Azech #TurAbdin #Turkey #Turkiye
syriacpress.com/blog/2026/10…
A Demand For Action retweeted
Greek MEP Fredis Beleris calls for EU action to protect Christians in Suqaylabiyah, Syria
@fredisbeleris | #Suqaylabiyah #FredisBeleris #ChristiansInSyria #ReligiousFreedom #ChristianMinorities #Syriac #HumanRights #EuropeanUnion #MiddleEast
syriacpress.com/blog/2026/10…
