{"id":13088,"date":"2025-01-07T14:15:06","date_gmt":"2025-01-07T19:15:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nykcc.org\/?p=13088"},"modified":"2025-03-06T12:11:05","modified_gmt":"2025-03-06T17:11:05","slug":"our-statement-on-rojava-and-syria-after-assad","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nykcc.org\/oldsite\/our-statement-on-rojava-and-syria-after-assad\/","title":{"rendered":"Our Statement on Rojava and Syria After Assad"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t

Our Statement on Rojava and Syria After Assad<\/h1>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

For over a decade, rebels opposing the Assad regime have fought to challenge its authoritarian rule. On December 8, the foreign-backed insurgency led by Hay\u2019at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) reached Damascus, resulting in the regime’s collapse and ending a half-century of control in Syria. This moment marks a significant turning point in Syrian history, offering an opportunity to rebuild the country on the principles of democracy, peace, and inclusion.<\/p>

The Assad regime long refused to recognize Syria\u2019s ethnic and religious diversity, including the Kurdish population, who have for decades faced systemic marginalization. Since 2012, however, Syria\u2019s Kurds, alongside their allies, have established the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES), sometimes known as Rojava, an inclusive governance model that champions women\u2019s empowerment, ethnic harmony, and democratic values. Today AANES governs nearly 40 percent of Syria\u2019s territory and stands as a powerful example of what is possible for all Syrians.<\/p>

In the wake of Assad\u2019s departure, the leadership of AANES has expressed a willingness to work toward a unified Syrian future\u2014one where democracy thrives, women have equal participation, and minorities are guaranteed their rights and dignity. We fully support this vision and urge all stakeholders to ensure its realization.<\/p>

However, a serious obstacle threatens this moment of hope. T\u00fcrkiye\u2019s leadership continues its aggression toward the Kurds and AANES. Since the 2012 revolution, T\u00fcrkiye has actively opposed Kurdish-led self-governance and used radical proxies, such as the Syrian National Army (SNA), to destabilize northeastern Syria. In recent days, Turkish-backed forces have seized control of Manbij (Minb\u00eec), committing brutal executions of Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) fighters. Turkish drone strikes and artillery attacks in Afrin, Shehba, Koban\u00ee, and near the Tishreen Dam have killed dozens of civilians and displaced thousands, undermining peace and stability. Most recently a drone killed two Kurdish ANHA journalists, C\u00eehan B\u00eelg\u00een and Nazim Dashtan.<\/p>

The Kurdish people of Syria, alongside their allies, have fought tirelessly for a peaceful, democratic, and inclusive society, often at great cost. They have been a steadfast partner in the global fight against ISIS\u2013including the ongoing detention of more than 10,000 ISIS fighters\u2013ensuring security for the region and beyond.<\/p>

We call on the United States and its allies to reaffirm their commitments to the SDF and AANES and to prevent Turkish military aggression from derailing the path toward peace. We urge all parties involved in Syria\u2019s future\u2014HTS, international coalitions, and other actors\u2014to include AANES representatives in negotiations and ensure the protection of women, minorities, and democratic governance.<\/p>

We further call on the Turkish government to cease its hostile actions, which only serve to perpetuate conflict and suffering, and instead pursue policies of dialogue and cooperation. Finally, we urge the United Nations to follow through with UNSCR 2254 to take an active role in facilitating a democratic transition, protecting minority rights, and ensuring the safe return of displaced communities across Syria.<\/p>

The Kurdish people and their allies have shown that a better Syria\u2014one that is democratic, inclusive, and peaceful\u2014is possible. It is time for the world to support this vision and stand on the side of peace, justice, and freedom for all Syrians.<\/p>

New York Kurdish Cultural Center<\/p>

Signatories<\/p>

American Kurdish Association<\/p>

Canadian Kurdish Community Center<\/p>

Rojava Film Commune<\/p>

Kurdish Student Organization at George Mason University<\/p>

Together for Kurdistan<\/p>

Mala Kurdan Switzerland<\/p>

JudiKa<\/p>

Kurdish Cultural Center of Illinois\u00a0<\/p>

Kurdish American Community Association<\/p>

Tennessee Kurdish Community Council<\/p>

If your organization would like to sign our statement, please contact us at info@nykcc.org.\u00a0<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Our Statement on Rojava and Syria After Assad For over a decade, rebels opposing the Assad regime have fought to challenge its authoritarian rule. On December 8, the foreign-backed insurgency led by Hay\u2019at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) reached Damascus, resulting in the regime’s collapse and ending a half-century of control in Syria. This moment marks a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"give_campaign_id":0,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-13088","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-visual-art"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nykcc.org\/oldsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13088","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nykcc.org\/oldsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nykcc.org\/oldsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nykcc.org\/oldsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nykcc.org\/oldsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13088"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/nykcc.org\/oldsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13088\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13095,"href":"https:\/\/nykcc.org\/oldsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13088\/revisions\/13095"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nykcc.org\/oldsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13088"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nykcc.org\/oldsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13088"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nykcc.org\/oldsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13088"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}