An appeal to the international community

An appeal to the international community - The legitimate rights of Kurds in Syria must not be ignored

The recent events in the Syrian National Council are concerning, where the majority of the Kurd members have withdrew from the Council as their demands were ignored. The Kurdish demands in Syria after the fall of Assad's regime are the following:
1-Reforms to ensure equality between all the national and religious components of the Syrian people.
2- Permitting political pluralism.
3- Formation of a national assembly and a commission for all the Syrian components to participate in drafting a new constitution for the country on a democratic basis, to guarantee the recognition of the multi-nationality and multi-religion; and ensuring public freedoms, particularly freedom of opinion, expression and media. Moreover, ensuring the practice of the political pluralism, separation of powers, and the development of a modern law for elections and political parties. Furthermore, building a state based on federalism and political decentralization. The new constitution must protect the fundamental rights of the ethnic and religious minorities. A public referendum would legitimatize the constitution and approved it.

4- The democratic and just solution of the Kurdish issue within the framework of the country's unity, and on the following basis:
- Recognition of the right to self-determination for the Kurdish people in Syria.
- Ensure the participation of the Kurds in the political and economic life of the country.
- Ensure the return of all displaced Kurds to their homes.
- The compensation of the Kurd peasants whom have been stripped of their land and property, and whom have been expelled from their areas forcibly by the state.- Lifting the Arab Belt project, by which the Kurd peasants have been stripped of their land, and their land were given it to farmers recruited from other areas and built their settlements in the Kurdish areas.
- Constitutional recognition of the Kurdish people national and cultural rights in Syria.- To allow the practice of the Kurdish language and the opening of schools and universities teach in Kurdish.
- Giving citizenship to those being stripped of it, and the recognition of all their rights like other citizens.
- Development of the Kurdish areas which suffer from deliberate neglect by the Authority.

The demands and legitimate rights of the Kurds are still ignored, and this clearly shows the Turkish influence and impact over the Syrian opposition. In the beginning of the revolution against the Syrian regime persecution and humiliation of the people, Turkey has interfered as a mediator in the Syrian crisis, and then it tried to play the role of supporting the opposition. The stance Turkey is taking is not to spread democracy in the region, however it is to strengthen its influence and its regional role. Turkey fears that the Kurds will be key players in the new Syria, which is supposed to be a democratic state, and it further concerns that the role played by Kurds in Syria would reflect on Turkey's Kurds, too. Therefore, the Syrian Kurdish opposition views the growing role and influence of the Turkish government over the Syria National Council with suspicion. The international community and European countries must work to prevent the marginalization of the minorities' rights in the new Syria, because the country will not develop or settle without the constitutional recognition and protection of the rights of Kurds and other minorities in the country. Therefore, the Kurdish opposition needs to be supported in its efforts for democracy and ensuring the rights of the Kurdish people in Syria.

For any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Jian Badrakhan – Second Chairman

YASA e.V. - Kurdish Centre for Legal Studies & Consultancy