And next, Syria?

[The39thStep]

This is one of the areas I'm most dubious tbh. The demonstrations provide hope that the Syrians will stay active and at the very least keep the administration in check.

Yes, it's the movement from below that provides the hope , not how HTS is marketed. Those who do soft soap HTS will be the first to condemn any opposition from below to the regime and it's vested interests.

 

[Pickman's model]

This is one of the areas I'm most dubious tbh. The demonstrations provide hope that the Syrians will stay active and at the very least keep the administration in check.

i admire but cannot share your optimism.

 

[zahir]

Washington Returns to Damascus with High Stakes for Syria’s Transition

The delegation’s findings on key political and security issues will have a major impact on future U.S. engagement with Syria’s new leaders, including the decision on whether or not to remove sanctions.

www.washingtoninstitute.org

 

[zahir]

video

Thousands rallied in Damascus today, singing about freedom and unity. No one holding up pictures of any man. Not a word, not a chant about Jolani. Speakers praised the protesters, the fighters, the imprisoned, the exiled, the dead, the men and the women for making this possible.

eta:
video from Sweida
video from Tartous

 

[zahir]

Syria: Turkish Drone Strike Kills Kurdish Journalists Jihan Belki and Nazim Dashdam — Coalition For Women in Journalism

WPF is outraged by the Turkish drone strike that killed journalists Jihan Belki and Nazim Dashdam near the Tishrin Dam, on the outskirts of Kobani. They were reporting on attacks on the dam when, according to local human rights groups, their vehicle was "directly" targeted.

www.womeninjournalism.org

Women Press Freedom is outraged by the Turkish drone strike that killed journalists Jihan Belki and Nazim Dashdam near the Tishrin Dam, on the outskirts of Kobani. They were reporting on attacks on the dam when, according to local human rights groups, their vehicle was "directly" targeted. Their driver was also injured in the strike.

This tragedy comes amid escalating Turkish attacks in northern and eastern Syria. Jihan Belki is the third woman journalist killed by a Turkish drone strike this year, following the deaths of Gulstan Tara and Hero Bahadin in Iraq in August.

We strongly condemn this attack and demand an immediate, independent investigation to determine if these journalists were deliberately hit. Purposefully targeting the press in a conflict zone constitutes a war crime. Turkiye must be held accountable for the growing number of Kurdish journalists killed and injured by its drones strikes.

We extend our heartfelt condolences to the families and loved ones of Jihan and Nazim.

 

[zahir]

Commons Library research briefing: Syria after Assad

https://researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/CBP-10161/CBP-10161.pdf

 

[zahir]

The situation in Kobane

US-allied Syrian Kurds warn of Turkish offensive and Isis resurgence

Kurds Syria's Kobane - a city synonymous with the fight against the so-called Islamic State - fear Turkey is preparing a major attack

inews.co.uk

Archived version: https://archive.ph/y9UDB

 

[zahir]

Statement from the Syrian Women's Council based in the autonomous administration in the north east.

Declaration of Syrian Women's Council - Kongra Star

As women living in Syria, we have lived for many years under the Baath regime’s nationalist and unilateralist policies that do not recognize the will of women. The peoples of Syria, who rose up against the cruel regime in 2011, have faced war, migration, occupation and ISIS persecution in the 13...

kongra-star.org

As women living in Syria, we have lived for many years under the Baath regime’s nationalist and unilateralist policies that do not recognize the will of women. The peoples of Syria, who rose up against the cruel regime in 2011, have faced war, migration, occupation and ISIS persecution in the 13 years that followed. Women have suffered the most in this period.

We have struggled against the Baath regime, as well as against ISIS, and against all forms of oppression and enslavement. We have paid a high price, but we have not lost our hope to live in a free and democratic Syria. As women from all ethnic, religious and cultural backgrounds in Syria, we established the Syrian Women’s Council with the determination to build a free future for all Syrian people. Now, more than ever, we have a strong will and determination to play a more effective leadership role in this process.

Efforts to build a new order in Syria after the fall of the Baath regime continue. However, this process must recognize the will of women, a fair and equal representation of women must be ensured. Because women make up more than half of Syrian society. Only with equal participation of women and all the different religious, cultural and ethnic groups in Syria, we can build the democratic, just and secure country, we are longing for.

During these 13 years, women in North and East Syria have struggled and organized themselves in all areas of life and achieved important gains. They have gained important expertise in politics, economy, self-defense, justice and many other fields. It is time that all Syrian women can benefit from the achievements of the women in this region. These achievements have been gained with great sacrifices and great costs, so it is crucial to defend them. One of the most important conditions in the legitimation at the regional and international level of the new system that will be established in Syria, is that the role of women in establishing and administrating the new system in Syria, is guaranteed.

The fall of the Assad regime was a positive development. However, unfortunately the crimes against women in Idlib, Afrin, Jarablus, al-Bab, Serekani and Gire Spi – like killing, abduction and deprivation of basic rights – continue. In these places, and now as well in Minbij, Turkish-backed armed groups continue to commit crimes and continue their occupation.

Today, as we celebrate the fall of the Ba’ath regime, we also witness an alarming increase in violence against women and religious and ethnic minorities—particularly Christians, Alawites, and Druze—in coastal and southern regions. Furthermore, attacks on North and East Syria and heinous crimes, such as the brutal killings and beheading of women, as occurred in Tal Rifaat, by armed factions supported by Turkey, continue. Therefore, in order to prevent these violations and to end the fear and danger our peoples are facing, we call on all political forces in Syria to work toward achieving the following objectives:

1. Syrian people must determine the future of Syria.​

1. The fulfillment of the requirements of international norms and peace agreements; an end to war and conflicts in our region; therefore, a closure of Syrian airspace to military activities; the cessation of all attacks on Syrian territory, and the withdrawal of all occupying armies.​

1. The immediate release of all women still held captive in the prisons of armed groups in Idlib, Afrin, Jarabulus, al-Bab, Gire Spî (Tal Abyad) and Serekaniye (Ras al-Ain).​

1. The establishment of a committee with the active participation of women to ensure the safe return of displaced Syrian refugees and an end to the occupation of Syrian territory.​

1. The ensuring of fair representation of women and women’s organizations from all parts of Syria in the construction of a democratic Syria and in the new Constitutional Committee.​

1. The implementation of the UN Security Council Resolution 1325; the taking of measures to guarantee women’s participation in peace processes; measures to prevent conflict and measures to prevent violence against women during and after conflicts; the effective participation of women in the decision-making, implementation and accountability processes in taking these measures.​

1. The establishing of a truth and justice commission to investigate and prosecute all war crimes and crimes against women and human rights.​

1. Ensuring women’s equal and free participation in all decision-making mechanisms and in the fields of politics, education, science and economy.​

1. Legal recognition of women’s right to self-defense.​

1. Full implementation and guarantee of the human rights proclaimed in international conventions such as the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW). A guarantee of women’s fundamental rights and social rights.​

1. The establishment of a committee to work for the inclusion of women’s will in public and political institutions based on the principle of equal representation.​

1. The establishment of justice committees for children who have suffered psychological and physical harm due to war and violence.​

1. The establishment of an environmental committee to investigate environmental destruction, environmental crimes and to prosecute the perpetrators among other necessary measures to be taken.​

Syrian Women’s Council

20-12-2024

 

[zahir]

Thread from Emma Beals

Reflections from Syria. Very briefly, for now. Lots more to come in the days/weeks ahead.

Three things are happening at once:
1/ The joy, relief, and miracle of it all.
2/ The huge grief and horror.
3/ The uncertainty, complexity, and huge work ahead.

On 1/ The joy and relief are real, even among those who are afraid or uncertain. The regime was widely hated. Under them, things were only going one way, and it wasn’t good. Now, there is a question, possibility, opportunity. People have a huge weight lifted.

The miracle of what’s happening is mind-bending. It shouldn’t be possible. It’s a credit to the backroom diplomacy and the restraint and willingness of Syrians to give this chance. Sure, there is some instability and it’s early days, but the fact it’s working so far is huge.

On 2/ The horror. I’ve researched the regimes security state in granular detail for years but seeing it in 3D is something else. The scale of the enterprise was outrageous. Thousands of people spent every day involved in this. So many were detained or had someone missing.

The mass graves are vast. Hospitals had morgues of tortured corpses. There are branches everywhere. The full truth is only now coming out and how to reckon with everything that happened and to avoid replicating these patterns of securitization and brutality will be a big task.

On 3/ Wow, where to start. In between the highs and the lows there is SO much going on and this is part where much of the work needs to be done. People are uncertain about what’s next and highly sensitive to every action of authorities—tho giving it a chance.

Many folks stayed in place, so within and between communities you’ve victims, perpetrators, and everyone else. Reductive to think of it as sectarian issue, it’s beyond that. Dynamics are highly localized. The TJ and reconciliation Q is huge—in institutions, communities, justice…

The regime’s primary concern was its security state, not governance or service provision. Syrians need everything. Some areas are destroyed beyond recognition. Others simply lack basic services. Institutions lack capacity. The work ahead is vast.

And now…we must let Syrians work this out but help them to maximize and build on the miracle of it all, address the past and grieve and reconcile society, and build build build and grow and repair and renew. I’ll expand on all these thoughts in more detail in coming days/weeks.

 

[zahir]

source

“I just learned that my PhD student, Assad Hassan, has become the new Foreign Minister of Syria. I was asking his Indonesian and Palestinian classmates why he hasn't been coming to class for the last two weeks.”

 

[zahir]

Yazidis in Syria

Yazidis in Syria struggle for survival amid rapid changes

By Samer Yassin HASAKAH, Syria (North Press) – The recent upheavals in Syria, marked by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham’s (HTS) control over Damascus and the fall of

npasyria.com

 

[zahir]

Bringing the SNA on board

Rami Jarrah

Jolani has appointed two Ahrar al-Sham leaders, one current and one former, as governors of Damascus countryside and Lattakia.

Syrians deserve better than warlords in civilian administrative roles. This power-sharing at the expense of Syrians and their future is unacceptable.

MORE CAKE SHARING: After controversial appointments in Lattakia and Damascus suburbs, Jolani has now named Abu Al-Azz, leader of the Turkish-backed Jabha Shamiya, as Aleppo’s governor. Notably, Jabha Shamiya clashed with HTS in 2022 and, after losing, formed an alliance with them.

This raises questions about whose interests Abu Al-Azz will serve, given his faction’s ties to Turkey, and suggests Jolani is pacifying warlords with unearned positions.

While some argue these appointments are temporary, simply to appease these warlords and avoid conflict at a critical time, and that they will be confronted by Jolani at a later stage. Fuelling concerns about placing faith in yet another "one man" leader. If history has taught Syrians anything, it’s the dangers of such reliance.

These appointments, temporary or not, demand scrutiny as they shape Syria’s future.

 

[zahir]

video

Hundreds of Syrian women protest against HTS spokesman’s claim that women are ‘biologically incapable’ of leadership roles. They demand secularism, democracy, and equal rights.

 

[zahir]

Syria appoints defense minister opposing federalism for Kurds

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The new Syrian authority on Saturday appointed a top commander of the Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) as the defense minister of the transitional government. Murhaf Abu Qasra, a prominent figure in the recent HTS-led offensive that overthrew Bashar al-Assad, was...

www.rudaw.net

In an interview with AFP on Tuesday, he said that they distinguish between Kurds and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) - the de facto army of the Kurdish enclave in northeast Syria (Rojava).

“We must distinguish between the leadership of the Syrian Democratic Forces and Kurdish people who are one of the components of the Syrian population. Like all other minorities in Syria, they are entitled to full rights in every aspect of life. This is the problem with the leadership of the Syrian Democratic Forces,” Abu Qasra, known by his nom de guerre Abu Hassan al-Hamawi, told the French news agency.

“To summarise, Syria will not be divided and there will be no federalism inshallah. God willing, all these areas will be under Syria[n authority],” he added.

The HTS has not clashed with the US-allied SDF so far, and the latter handed over some parts of the oil-rich eastern province of Deir ez-Zor, which they had taken after Assad’s army fled to encounter the rebels in other parts of the country, to the HTS peacefully.

“At the outset of the incident [the offensive that ousted Assad], HTS informed us that our territories are not their target,” SDF chief Mazloum Abdi told local media days after the rebels took over Damascus. “We have agreements with HTS regarding Aleppo and Deir ez-Zor.”

When the HTS took over Aleppo city, they allowed the SDF to maintain its control of Kurdish-majority neighborhoods, mainly Sheikh Maqsood.

The Kurdish administration in Rojava has also decided to raise the new flag of the country, previously used by the opposition, across its institutions.

Referring to it as “the flag of independence,” Abdi said the flag is "suitable" for them "because this is not the flag of the Syrian Arab Republic but the flag of the Syrian Republic, which represents all components."

Abdi also said that they would send a delegation to Damascus to meet with the new authority.

Riad Darar, former co-chair of the Syrian Democratic Council (SDC), political wing of the SDF, told Rudaw on Saturday that they had twice had contact with the new rulers in Damascus “to open borders between us.”

In another effort to appease the HTS-led government, the Kurdish administration also removed tax on goods being imported from Damascus-held areas which were in place for years.

In a recent message to the Kurds, the HTS leader Ahmed al-Sharra, better known as Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, sought to ease their fears, saying they are “part of the homeland” and “there will be no injustice” against them.

“The coming Syria will have the Kurds as an essential component, and we will live together in it, and everyone will take their rights,” he said.

The Kurdish administration has said it seeks dialogue to "unify views" in Syria.

“We believe that cooperation between the Democratic Autonomous Administration and the political administration in Damascus will be in the favor of all Syrians and will contribute to facilitating a successful end to this difficult phase,” it said in a statement last week.

 

[zahir]

US based NGO arguing for linking the lifting of sanctions to protection for minorities

https://www.kurdistan24.net/en/story/816282

Nadine Maenza, President of the International Religious Freedom (IRF) Secretariat, emphasized the importance of safeguarding minority rights in Syria during an exclusive interview with Kurdistan24 on Friday. She underscored the need for dialogue with Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and called on Turkey and the Syrian National Army to ensure the protection of religious and ethnic minorities in areas under their control.

"We have seen crimes against Kurds, Christians, Yezidis, and others in areas invaded by the Syrian National Army and Turkey in recent weeks," Maenza stated. "It is crucial to hold these actors accountable for ensuring the safety and equality of all Syrian citizens."

 

[_Russ_]

Kurds in for more shit, the Western powers' premature signalling of support for HTS is IMO gonna come back and bite.
The criteria the west uses to align itself with dodgy bastards always seems to put the fact they are dodgy bastards way too low a consideration. (but seeing as how dodgy the west itself is perhaps thats no surprise.

Germany Calls for Disarming the "Syrian Democratic Forces" and Integrating Them into the Syrian Government Forces

Germany Calls for Disarming the "Syrian Democratic Forces" and Integrating Them into the Syrian Government Forces

thelevantnews.com

 

[zahir]

Thread from Karim Franceschi

I’m Karim Franceschi, an Italian/Berber volunteer who fought in Kobani alongside the YPG. Now, Germany’s Annalena Baerbock wants the Kurdish women’s force (YPJ) to disarm under the new Islamist rulers of Damascus—HTS, an offshoot of al-Qaeda. — a

Meanwhile, President Erdogan demands the “destruction” of all “terrorists” in Syria—lumping ISIS and the YPJ together. It’s a cruel joke, because the same YPJ broke ISIS’s stranglehold. Baerbock’s call for disarmament enables that horror.

I was there. At world’s end—walls collapsing, dust and smoke everywhere, where even breathing feels like an act of rebellion. A YPJ fighter, younger than me, showed me how to handle a Kalashnikov. She did it like it was no big deal, like, “Here’s how you survive.” And then—get this—she smiled. Not a grim, but an actual warm, human smile. Mortars were screaming, and pounding, and shaking, but she smiled like we were there was no other place she rather be.

A few days later, on the front line in the battered streets I witnessed YPJ valor. They were fearless. They didn’t back down, even when ISIS sent their best, which, let me tell you, wasn’t nothing. They gave no quarter. And here’s the thing: they weren’t fighting from hate. You’d think they would be, right? But no. It was love—love for life, for freedom, for something bigger than themselves. Which, when you’re standing there watching it, makes you think, “Maybe there’s still some hope for the world after all.

Turkey alone labels the YPJ as “a terrorist organization,” driven by a decades-long policy of suppressing Kurdish identity, seen as a threat to its territorial integrity—ignoring that the YPJ defends communities in northern Syria and has never had a presence in Turkey.

These women are the reason entire Yazidi communities escaped genocide. They liberated Raqqa. They took back villages from ISIS that no one else would touch. Telling them, “Lay down your weapons, trust HTS or Erdogan,” is practically a death sentence.

The HTS spokesman just called women “biologically incapable” of leadership. Jolani’s well-tailored moderate suit is coming apart in patches, revealing glimpses of HTS’s fundamentalist vision for Syria. And this is who @ABaerbock trusts to “protect” Kurdish women?

Erdogan lumps YPJ with ISIS in one breath, boasting “it’s time to wipe out the terrorists.” If that’s not an open call for genocide, I don’t know what is. Demanding YPJ disarm is handing them to their would-be executioners.

When I trained with the YPJ, they barely had resources. Yet every day, they fought for everyone’s freedom—Kurds, Arabs, Turkmen, Christians, Yazidis. Their feminism wasn’t a slogan: it was saving enslaved women from ISIS, building councils that empower them.

A “feminist foreign policy” that lumps these women with jihadist butchers is pure hypocrisy. Germany should condemn Erdogan’s calls for annihilation and HTS’s rebranded jihad, not force the YPJ to drop the guns that saved countless lives.

I saw how the YPJ formed the only bulwark against mass kidnappings, beheadings, and rape. The Syrian Women’s Council warns daily of these horrors, especially in Turkish-occupied areas. Disarming the YPJ is an engraved invitation for more war crimes.

If Baerbock cared about women’s rights, she’d back the YPJ and condemn Erdogan’s genocidal rhetoric. Instead, she demands they disarm and surrender to HTS while fighting for survival against Turkish-backed mercenaries invading Kobani at this very moment. She should resign.

I started this thread with my picture on the cover of Vanity Fair Italy. I didn’t have my phone in Kobani, and after a month of combat—where each day I didn’t know if I would see the next—I met an Italian journalist who traded an international phone call for that picture. The world cared about the women’s revolution when we resisted ISIS there. Now, the world has forgotten—or worse, is complicit—as a NATO country becomes the aggressor. But I can’t forget. I owe these women my life. The least we can do is fight for theirs.

 

[zahir]

Mohammed Salih

Syria’s new defense minister, Murhaf Abu Qasr, stated that the transitional governing body in Damascus maintains good relations with Kurds in Syria and distinguishes between Kurds and the SDF. While the first part of his statement is commendable and offers some hope, the second part is unhelpful and, for many Kurds, evokes typical Baathist rhetoric. It is true that the SDF does not represent all Kurds in Syria. Indeed, many Kurds operate outside the SDF framework. And the SDF-linked governing structure must be broadened to include other Kurds—particularly at this critical juncture. Such inclusivity may be one of the very few viable ways to dissuade Turkey from launching an invasion. However, the SDF is the established authority in NE Syria/Rojava and enjoys the support of many Kurds. Remarks suggesting a distinction between "Kurds" and "the SDF" are unhelpful. If this distinction were valid, a similar argument could be made regarding HTS and other Syrians.

 

[zahir]

Thread from Meghan Bodette

The third-class role of women under HTS rule is not something that women in NES will accept, period. They’ve been fighting and governing since 2011. Many have given their lives in defense of their people and their revolution. Going back to the kitchen is a nonstarter.

This is why Western journalists asking about headscarves and education miss the mark. That is the world’s lowest bar. The question should be: why is any restriction on women’s roles justifiable in a country where some women have had equal participation for over a decade?

The various factions that make up the new regime should be taken to task as to why they socially and politically prohibit the emergence of any woman leader on the level of, say, a Rohilat Afrin (general commander of YPJ) or an Ilham Ahmed (foreign minister of DAANES).

Culture, religion, and material conditions are not acceptable justifications for this failure. Syrian Kurds are mostly Sunni Muslims. Their society is relatively conservative. Kurdish areas are disproportionately rural and underdeveloped.

Northeast Syria shows that women from any community can participate in politics and security. Any governing body that excludes women is making the political choice to exclude women and should be held accountable for it.

 

[zahir]

Meghan Bodette

Do people who say “the DAANES/SDF don’t represent all Kurds” to delegitimize calls for Kurdish rights and autonomy know that the other Syrian Kurdish parties tend to be more Kurdish nationalist?

Even if, for the sake of argument, you were to pretend that the DAANES/SDF have no constituency (demonstrably untrue), that would not mean that Kurdish self-rule has no constituency. Other Kurdish parties think the DAANES/SDF doesn’t go far enough in demanding it.

There is no Syrian Kurdish political current that does not want, at minimum, culture and identity guarantees and some form of self governance. This is a reality that all actors concerned with the future of the country will have to contend with.