Ashur Sarnaya, a 45-year-old Iraqi Christian and refugee since 2016, was murdered on September 10 in the French city of Lyon while live-streaming on TikTok. In his wheelchair and on his way home, he received a fatal blow to the neck with a bladed weapon.
The scene was recorded in the victim's own live stream. Neighbors and friends remember him as a “very kind” man and “deeply faithful”. He belonged to the Assyrian-Chaldean community and was a parishioner of Saint-Éphrem parish in Lyon. In his broadcasts, he shared prayers and religious songs, and spoke fearlessly about his Christian faith and even the difficulties it brought him.
Georges Shamoun Ishaq, president of the Association of Assyro-Chaldeans of Lyon, described him as a discreet person with no problems with anyone. However, some of his videos had provoked hostile reactions on social media, and on several occasions, he reported having been the target of threats.
The Attack and the Investigation
According to initial testimonies, a man would have waited at the entrance of his building, in the Gorge de Loup neighborhood, to attack him head-on with a machete before fleeing. The police found the Iraqi Christian already in cardiorespiratory arrest. Nothing could be done to save him.
The prosecutor of Lyon opened an investigation for voluntary homicide. For now, no motive is ruled out: neither religious, nor political, nor linked to common crime, and no suspect has been apprehended.
The Family and Community in Mourning
Ashur had been living for a decade with his sister, who cared for him daily. She herself recounted that she learned of the tragedy from friends who were following the live stream while she was out. “When I arrived he was already dead, surrounded by people, police, and firefighters”, she said through tears.
The Chaldean community in France, which has about 20,000 faithful, has expressed its pain. The Catholic association L’Œuvre d’Orient condemned “with the utmost firmness the murder of a vulnerable Iraqi Christian” and emphasized the urgency of ensuring that Christians from the Middle East can bear witness to their faith in peace and dignity.
Tribute and Denunciation of Persecution
On Sunday, September 28, in Paris, an event was held in memory of Ashur Sarnaya organized by the European Syriac Union (ESU). During the gathering, Tina Beth Beyruz, president of the ESU, delivered a speech on behalf of the organization, remembering the victim and denouncing the persecutions suffered by Christians from the East, even on European soil. The tribute sought to highlight the vulnerability of these communities and demand greater protection for refugees who, like Ashur, fled violence to live their Christian faith in peace.
Sources: La Croix, Le Figaro, La Gaceta