Welcome to the official website of Gabriele Yonan.
Here you will find published works, articles and essays by Gabriele Yonan.
Gabriele Yonan (born 1944) is a German scholar of Oriental and Religious Studies. She is best known for her extensive research and advocacy regarding the history and culture of the Assyrian people, as well as the persecution of religious minorities.
Academic and Professional Focus
- Assyrian Studies: Yonan is a pioneering figure in documenting the Sayfo (the Assyrian genocide during World War I). Her work highlights the history, language, and national movements of Aramaic-speaking Christians in the Middle East.
-
Contemporary Assyrian Studies: She authored Assyrer heute ("Assyrians Today"), which explores the culture, language, and national movements of Aramaic-speaking Christians in the Middle East and their experience in exile.
- Journalism History: She has authored works on the history and development of Assyrian journalism from its beginnings to the present.
- Religious Minorities: She has conducted significant research into the persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses under both the Nazi regime and the East German (GDR) dictatorship.
Notable Publications
- Ein vergessener Holocaust ("A Forgotten Holocaust"): A key documentation regarding the destruction of Christian Assyrians in Turkey.
- Assyrer heute ("Assyrians Today"): Explores the modern culture, language, and exile of Assyrian populations.
- Jehovas Zeugen - Opfer unter zwei deutschen Diktaturen: A study of the experiences of Jehovah's Witnesses under the two 20th-century German dictatorships.
Professional Affiliations
Yonan has long been associated with the Society for Threatened Peoples (Gesellschaft für bedrohte Völker), an international human rights organization based in Germany
Recognition
In August 2024, she was honored with a "Day of Appreciation" by the Assyrian Association Augsburg for her more than 50 years of work dedicated to the global Assyrian community. Among many other honors, Gabriele Yonan was awarded in 2000 as an honorary lifetime member by the Society of threatened People in Göttingen, Germany.
