An Iraqi Christian man was tragically stabbed to death while livestreaming about his faith on TikTok outside his apartment in Lyon, France, last Friday.
Ashur Sarnaya, a 45-year-old Assyrian Christian using a wheelchair, had fled Iraq to escape Islamic State persecution and reportedly received online threats and anonymous phone calls.
Before 10:30 p.m. local time, the attack happened near his apartment on Rue Sergent Michel Berthet in the ninth arrondissement, where witnesses say the assailant waited for and then stabbed Sarnaya in the neck.
According to Le Progrès, the attacker severed Sarnaya’s carotid artery and fled, causing a cardio-respiratory arrest from which emergency services could not revive him.
Le Progrès reported, “In a video clip still online Thursday morning, we see the victim, authenticated by relatives, with blood on his face, visibly flowing from his nose and mouth.”
A witness provided AFP with a video showing a person in dark clothing and a hood leaving the scene, whom they identified as the murderer.
A police source commented that authorities have not yet established a motive, saying, “Nothing points us in the direction of a solid line of inquiry, whether criminal, political, religious or drug-related.”
Having moved to France in 2014, Sarnaya lived with his sister, frequently sharing Christian messages in Arabic online, as noted by Observatory on Intolerance and Discrimination Against Christians in Europe (OIDAC Europe).
OIDAC Europe noted, “Many Christian organizations in France have condemned the murder and are calling for Christians in the Middle East to be able to practice their faith safely and live with dignity. Indeed, this murder is unimaginable given Ashur’s history of fleeing persecution.”
According to the Catholic News Agency, Sarnaya posted testimonies of his faith in Arabic on social media, and in March, he revealed that he had been physically assaulted by Muslims. Aleteia France also reported that he had mentioned his content was blocked or suspended after receiving reports from Muslims.
Georges Shamoun Ishaq of the Assyro-Chaldean Association of Lyon described Sarnaya as “a very kind, discreet person, deeply believing, who liked to speak about the Christian faith,” as reported by the Catholic News Agency.
