INFORMATION FILE ON THE ROJAVA (SYRIAN KURDISTAN) Prepared by the Foreign Affairs Commission of Peace and Democracy Party

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1 INFORMATION FILE ON THE ROJAVA (SYRIAN KURDISTAN) Prepared by the Foreign Affairs Commission of Peace and Democracy Party October 2013

2 INDEX 1- Introduction on Syrian Kurdistan a) Geography and Demography of Syrian Kurdistan b) Historical Background of the Kurdish Uprising c) Clashes in Syria and Kurds d) PYD e) YPG (The People's Protection Units) 2- Current Situation in Rojava a) Autonomous Regional Administrations in Rojava b) Social Conditions During the Resistance c) Suggestions 2

3 1- INTRODUCTION ON SYRIAN KURDISTAN a) Geography and demography of Syrian Kurdistan Syrian Kurdistan known as Rojava or Western Kurdistan located in north and northeast of Syria. Syrian Kurdistan is part of the larger geographic area of Kurdistan, which refers to parts of eastern Turkey (Turkish Kurdistan), northern Iraq (Iraqi Kurdistan), northwestern Iran (Iranian Kurdistan) and northern Syria (Syrian Kurdistan) inhabited mainly by Kurds. Majority of Kurds in Syria live in north and north-eastern Syria. North-east region covers the greater part of the governorate of Al Hasakah (formerly the Jazira province). The main cities in this region are Qamishli and Hasakah. Another region with a significant Kurdish population is Kobanê (Ayn al-arab) in the northern part of Syria near the town of Jarabulus. The Kurdish inhabited northern and northeastern parts of Syria are called "Kurdistana Binxetê" in Kurdish. An area of Kurdish concentration is in the northwest, around the Afrin in Aleppo Governorate, a region that extends to the Turkish districts of Islahiye and Hatay. Also, many Kurds live in the large cities and metropolitan areas of the country, for example, in the neighborhood of Rukn al-din in Damascus which was formerly known as Hayy al Akrad (Kurdish Quarter). Kurds are the second largest ethnic group after the Arabic Population in Syria and make up nearly 11 percent of the country's population. Syrian Kurds have faced systematic discrimination and harassment by the Ba ath Regime. b) Historical Background of the Kurdish Uprising On 23 August 1962, Syrian Government conducted a special population census only for the province of Jazira, which was predominantly Kurdish. As a result, around 120,000 Kurds in Jazira (20% of Syrian Kurds) were stripped of their Syrian citizenship. In fact, the inhabitants had Syrian identity cards and were told to hand them over to the administration for renewal. However, many of those Kurds who submitted their cards received nothing in return. Many were arbitrarily categorized as ajanib ('aliens'), while others who did not participate in the census were categorized as maktumin ('unregistered'), an even lower status than the ajanib; for all intents and purposes, these unregistered Kurds did not exist in the eyes of the state. They could not get jobs, become educated, own property, participate in politics, or even get married. In some cases, classifications varied even within Kurdish families: parents had citizenship but not their children, a child could be a citizen but nor his or her brothers and sisters. Those Kurds who lost their citizenship were often dispossessed of their lands, which 3

were given by the state to Arab settlers. A media campaign was launched against the Kurds with slogans such as Save Arabism in Jazira! and Fight the Kurdish Menace!

4 were given by the state to Arab settlers. A media campaign was launched against the Kurds with slogans such as Save Arabism in Jazira! and Fight the Kurdish Menace!. In 1965, the Syrian government decided to create an Arab cordon (Hizam Arabi) in the Jazira region along the Turkish border. The cordon was 300 kilometers long and kilometers wide, stretched from the Iraqi border in the east to Serekaniye (Ras Al-Ain) in the west. The implementation of the Arab cordon plan began in 1973 and Bedouin Arabs were brought in and resettled in Kurdish areas. Kurdish villages names were Arabized. According to the original plan, some 140,000 Kurds had to be deported to the southern desert near Al-Raad. Although Kurdish farmers were dispossessed of their lands, they refused to move and give up their houses. Among these Kurdish villagers, those who were designated as alien are not allowed to own property, to repair a crumbling house or to build a new one. 4

5 c) Clashes in Syria and Kurds Syria s Kurdish Spring preceded the Arab Spring and began in 2004, when anti- Assad Kurds were massacred in Qamishli for protesting against an Arab nationalist regime that had for decades dispossessed Kurdish farmers, confiscated Kurdish land, and outlawed the teaching of the Kurdish language. Yet the Kurds grievances against the Assad regime failed to yield an alliance between the Free Syrian Army (FSA) and the Kurdish minority. The FSA s relationship with Turkey, combined with the Islamist and Arab nationalist identities of influential rebel factions, prompted many Kurds to fear a Muslim Brotherhood-led overthrow of the Ba athist regime. Kurdish Supreme Committee Protests in the Kurdish inhabited areas of Syria evolved into armed clashes after the opposition Kurdish Democratic Union Party (Partiya Yekîtiya Demokrat in Kurdish or PYD) and Kurdish National Council (KNC) signed a cooperation agreement on 12 July 2012 that created the Kurdish Supreme Committee as the governing body of all Kurdish controlled areas. d) PYD (Democratic Union Party) On its website 1 the PYD describes itself as believing in "social equality, justice and the freedom of belief" as well as "pluralism and the freedom of political parties". It describes itself as "striving for a democratic solution that includes the recognition of cultural, national and political rights, and develops and enhances their peaceful struggle to be able to govern themselves in a multicultural, democratic society." PYD has co-chaired by Mr. Salih Muslim and Asiya Abdullah. e) YPG (The People's Protection Units) The People's Protection Units (Kurdish: Yekîneyên Parastina Gel or YPG) are the official armed wing of the Kurdish Supreme Committee. YPG has taken a defensive position, fighting against any group that has the intention of bringing the Syrian civil war to Kurdish inhabited areas. As of the signing of the Arbil Agreement by PYD and KNC the Armed Wing came under the command of the Kurdish supreme Committee though in reality it is almost exclusively still the armed wing of the former and is responsible for maintaining order and protecting the lives of residents in Kurdish neighborhoods. The YPG is composed of youths from communities across the Kurdish region of Syria. The YPG considers itself a democratic people's militia and conducts internal elections as a 1 5

6 method of appointing officers. Though predominantly Kurdish, the group has attracted some Arabs defecting from the mainstream opposition. YPG has known for their large number of women fighters. In late July 2012, the People's Protection Units pushed out government security forces from the city of Kobanê (Ayn al-arab) and took over Amuda and Efrîn. As of August 2013, the YPG consists of 11 brigades. Some of these brigades operate in Efrin, Qamishli, Kobane and Sere Kaniye. 2- Current Situation in Rojava a) Autonomous Regional Administrations in Rojava More than two years ago -on 15 March when some students in Daraa wrote the slogans about the Arab Spring on the walls Syrian government responded so violently that the resistance and conflicts are still going on for all this time. The anti-democratic, human rights violating, oppressive and dangerous political attitudes of Syrian regime resulted in Syrian people s rebellion. This rebellion which is supported by all parts of the society against the oppressions was already started by Kurds in Kurdish Region of northern Syria in Then the rebellion was started in Qamishli and spread over all other Kurdish cities. Unfortunately during the 13 days of the rebellion 37 Kurdish young activists were killed and hundreds of them were arrested by Syrian Army. Seven years after the rebellion in Kurdish Region the democratic and peaceful demonstrations started in Syria again in Syrian regime chose the violent response once more and the demonstration areas were targeted by Syrian Army. As a result thousands of people were shot and killed. After the violent response, demonstrations turned into an armed struggle. The anti-secular groups in Syria started to attend the Free Syrian Army and chose to fight back the violence from Syrian government. However the organized Kurdish society chose neither the Syrian regime nor the armed struggle but as a third option chose the democratic and peaceful way. Choosing a democratic and peaceful way as a third option Kurds provided an opportunity to establish the Autonomous Regional Administration. In this new system all varieties of the society in Kurdish Region nearly 4 million Kurds, 300 thousand Arabs, 150 thousand Christians, more than 25 thousand Ezidis and Assyrians, Turkmans, Alevis have found the chance to demand for their rights. In the new system as a first step local councils were established by the votes of all communities (such as Kurds, Arabs, Assyrians, Alevis, Turkmans, Christins and Zoroastrians) 6

7 in the liberated areas; Qamishli, Afrin, Kobani, Hasakah, Derik, Rimelan, Tirbespi, Cewadiye, Amuda, Dirbe Siye, Sere Kaniye and Tiltemir. Then committees were established on consensus of all representatives for meeting the needs of the society. These committees are; Committee of Social Problems Committee of Services Committee of Self Defense Committee of Justice Committee of Youth Committee of Women Committee of Fraternity of People Committee of Unity of Religions These committees were recognized by the all Kurdish parties in the region. Established by all communities in Autonomous Regional Administration these committees are the facilitators for daily life and provide a more regular system when compared with chaotic atmosphere all over the country. Besides the committees many non-governmental organizations such as Union of Teachers, Union of Trade, U. of Engineers, U. of Workers, U. of Doctors, U. of Pharmacists, U. of Artists, Council of Health and Red Crescent of Kurds were established and people found the chance to defend their rights in a democratic system. Despite all difficulties such as embargos, the risk of being attacked and being prevented to reach the international relief of UN, EU, USA or other countries/organizations people who are living in Autonomous Regional Administration are trying to survive with their own means. b) Social Conditions During the Resistance For the last 3 years of ongoing insurgency and the conflictual atmosphere in Syria, more than (according to UN resources more than ) civilian have died, more than have injured and 2.5 million have immigrated. With the migration of the civilians who lost their life safety and houses very significant internal and external migration movements have started and eventually social problems have appeared. Migrations from the inner parts of the country headed towards the Kurdish areas located in the North of Syria. Afrin s population, which was more than 500 thousand, has increased to more than a million just after the migration of 500 thousand of people from Aleppo. Besides, there have been mass migrations from Al-Hasakah and Deir-ez Zor to Qamishli; from Manbij, Al-Bab ve Jarabulus to Kobani. 7

8 Today, more than 5 million people have faced with the risk of death because of the number of injured people in the migrated cities, insufficient number of hospitals, the electricity and water cuts of the Syrian State and hygiene and epidemic problems generated from housing problem and furthermore, the embargo conditions which prevent any kind of aid to be reached to Kurdish region. For the last 3 years children haven`t been vaccinated, the reserves of medicine run out and medicine aids from abroad have not been allowed. Epidemical diseases such as tuberculosis, hepatitis-b, bloody diarrhea, measles and varicella, constitute danger not only for Kurdish region and Syria but also for neighboring countries. Yet, there is some information that in the Turkish villages on Syrian border measles cases have seen. Late and unfair distribution of aids is also another treat for human health. Aids that are coming from different international actors such as the UN, the EU, the USA, Turkey, gathers in one hand in Syria, however distributed unfairly and up until now, none of the aids were allowed to reach the Kurdish region, where more than 5 million people live. Together with the last 6 months embargos and isolation, the people who try to survive with their autonomous power in Kurdish Region have to defend themselves also against the attacks from inside and outside of Syria and this reaches to the level of urgent intervention. C) Suggestions Peace and Democracy Party suggests 3 methods to reducing the humanitarian crisis in Rojava; Zero delivery program which implements on Turkey-Syria border should cover the Supreme Kurdish Committee and the customs should be open to the Committee of Social Problems. UN and International Aid organizations should be in direct contact with the Humanitarian Aid Committee of Rojava which affiliated with the Supreme Kurdish Committee Turkey, the US, UN and EU should provide easiness to establishing representatives in the mentioned countries capitals in order to constitute network for sustainable cooperation. Peace and Democracy party believes that Supreme Kurdish Committee as the biggest Kurdish Opposition is a guarantee for the democratic and pluralist system in a federal Syria. BDP fully supports any endeavors for nonviolent ways to achieve the solution to the Syrian Crisis. 8

Kurdish Autonomy. Summer 2012: Syrian Army leaves Afrin and the other Kurdish regions January 2014 Autonomy of the Canton Afrin declared

Kurdish Autonomy. Summer 2012: Syrian Army leaves Afrin and the other Kurdish regions January 2014 Autonomy of the Canton Afrin declared Afrin/Erfîn Kurdish Autonomy Summer 2012: Syrian Army leaves Afrin and the other Kurdish regions January 2014 Autonomy of the Canton Afrin declared Kurdish Asayîş People s Protection Units YPG Women s