Sargon Dadesho
Encyclopedia
Sargon Dadesho (born September 18, 1948 in Habbaniya
, Iraq
) is an Assyrian
nationalist
leader. Dadesho is currently the head of various Assyrian organizations and political parties, and is married to Janet Shamon.
. His pursuit of a more militant approach to finding solutions to Assyrian struggle in Iraq led him to leave AUA and with the help of a few former AUA members form the Bet-Nahrain Democratic Party
in California.
He has skilfully utilized the media for his political aims as president of Bet-Nahrain Inc., a 501(c)(03) public charity non-profit organization that operates a 24/7Assyrian television station KSBV Channel 23, out of Ceres. He also runs a radio program, a television station and a magazine, along with AssyriaSat.
The source of revenue for the Bet-Nahrain, Inc which fuels Dadesho's political machine is said to be the members' donations, memberships, and the bingo games. According to the IRS report in 2003 Bet-Nahrain, Inc.'s revenues totalled a little over $325,000 and the total expenses totalled over $407,000. Yet the cost of running the Assyrian Satellite program and all other media outlets connected with Sargon Dadesho alone are well-over $50,000 a month.
and Arabic inviting their viewers in the Middle East
to battle the Iranian government in seceding the Azarbaijan and Khuzistan provinces
for the Turkish
and Arab people, respectively.
In 1995, Dadesho won a $1.5 million judgment against Iraq for "emotional distress" suffered after the assassination attempt, which was foiled by the FBI. Iraq appealed the decision, but a federal appeals court later affirmed the judgment.
In April, 2003 he was awarded the money after a failed assassination attempt by a hired Iraqi hit man 10 years ago. The money came from the confiscated assets of the Iraqi government, one of a number of victims to finally collect judgments from lawsuits filed after the first Gulf War.
Dadesho remains the most vocal devotee of the “Assyrian-only” camp, a position he has uncompromisingly held since the explosion of the Chaldean identity on the scene of Assyrian politics during the 1990 U.S. Census.
Wilfred Bet-Alkhas, editor and publisher of the online newsletter Zinda Magazine
, selected Dadesho as the "Person of the Year" for 2004, saying that Dadesho was "celebrated as both an Assyrian nationalist and a nemesis of Assyrian political progress".
Habbaniya, Iraq
Lake Habbaniyah is a shallow natural lake in al-Anbar, Iraq, west of Baghdad. It has a surface area 140 km². Traditionally the lake has been used to hold flood water from the River Euphrates, and in 1956 a barrage was constructed at Ramadi for this purpose...
, Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
) is an Assyrian
Assyrian people
The Assyrian people are a distinct ethnic group whose origins lie in ancient Mesopotamia...
nationalist
Assyrianism
The term Assyrianism refers to Assyrian nationalism which increased in popularity in the late 19th century in a climate of increasing ethnic and religious persecution of the indigenous Assyrians of the Middle East....
leader. Dadesho is currently the head of various Assyrian organizations and political parties, and is married to Janet Shamon.
Biography
In the early 1970s Dadesho was a vocal evangelist for the Assyrian Universal AllianceAssyrian Universal Alliance
Assyrian Universal Alliance is an ethnic Assyrian umbrella organization in the Middle East. The Assyrian Universal Alliance is an international alliance made up of different sectors of the Assyrian federations and organisations throughout the world. Mr...
. His pursuit of a more militant approach to finding solutions to Assyrian struggle in Iraq led him to leave AUA and with the help of a few former AUA members form the Bet-Nahrain Democratic Party
Bet-Nahrain Democratic Party
The Bet-Nahrain Democratic Party is an Assyrian political party in Iraq led by Romeo Nissan Hakkari. One of the party's goals is to create an autonomous Assyrian Administrative Region within Iraq...
in California.
He has skilfully utilized the media for his political aims as president of Bet-Nahrain Inc., a 501(c)(03) public charity non-profit organization that operates a 24/7Assyrian television station KSBV Channel 23, out of Ceres. He also runs a radio program, a television station and a magazine, along with AssyriaSat.
The source of revenue for the Bet-Nahrain, Inc which fuels Dadesho's political machine is said to be the members' donations, memberships, and the bingo games. According to the IRS report in 2003 Bet-Nahrain, Inc.'s revenues totalled a little over $325,000 and the total expenses totalled over $407,000. Yet the cost of running the Assyrian Satellite program and all other media outlets connected with Sargon Dadesho alone are well-over $50,000 a month.
Criticism
His critics allege that Dadesho may be allowing other more powerful political groups utilize his media for their political objectives and in return providing him with the much needed funds for the operation of his AssyriaSat television propaganda. For example, two separate programs are cited for their anti-Iranian propaganda in which the presenters speak in AzerbaijaniAzerbaijani language
Azerbaijani or Azeri or Torki is a language belonging to the Turkic language family, spoken in southwestern Asia by the Azerbaijani people, primarily in Azerbaijan and northwestern Iran...
and Arabic inviting their viewers in the Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
to battle the Iranian government in seceding the Azarbaijan and Khuzistan provinces
Khuzestan Province
Khuzestan Province is one of the 31 provinces of Iran. It is in the southwest of the country, bordering Iraq's Basra Province and the Persian Gulf. Its capital is Ahwaz and covers an area of 63,238 km²...
for the Turkish
Turkish people
Turkish people, also known as the "Turks" , are an ethnic group primarily living in Turkey and in the former lands of the Ottoman Empire where Turkish minorities had been established in Bulgaria, Cyprus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Greece, Kosovo, Macedonia, and Romania...
and Arab people, respectively.
In 1995, Dadesho won a $1.5 million judgment against Iraq for "emotional distress" suffered after the assassination attempt, which was foiled by the FBI. Iraq appealed the decision, but a federal appeals court later affirmed the judgment.
In April, 2003 he was awarded the money after a failed assassination attempt by a hired Iraqi hit man 10 years ago. The money came from the confiscated assets of the Iraqi government, one of a number of victims to finally collect judgments from lawsuits filed after the first Gulf War.
Dadesho remains the most vocal devotee of the “Assyrian-only” camp, a position he has uncompromisingly held since the explosion of the Chaldean identity on the scene of Assyrian politics during the 1990 U.S. Census.
Wilfred Bet-Alkhas, editor and publisher of the online newsletter Zinda Magazine
Zinda Magazine
Zinda Magazine is an Assyrian magazine. Based in the United States, it is the largest online magazine serving the Syriac-speaking community around the world....
, selected Dadesho as the "Person of the Year" for 2004, saying that Dadesho was "celebrated as both an Assyrian nationalist and a nemesis of Assyrian political progress".