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Dear friends,
We are reaching out with the latest news from Rojava, the heart of the women’s revolution.
Protests for the Release of Prisoners
In the past week, we can feel and see that society is unsettled and that the protests for the release of prisoners are growing louder. With the attacks by the Syrian transitional government on the population in Northeast Syria at the beginning of the year, several thousand civilians and members of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) were tortured and taken prisoner by the transitional government.
We see especially the pain of mothers who have been living in uncertainty since mid-January, not knowing whether their children are still alive, whether they have been captured, and whether they are well.
Signs are being held up with the slogans: “We will not remain silent until the last prisoner is free” and “Behind every prisoner stands a mother’s broken heart.”
The crowds are demanding the immediate release of prisoners and the return of the bodies of those who have fallen. The responsible authorities, including the Syrian transitional government, the leadership of the Syrian Democratic Forces, and the internal security forces, must take responsibility and carry out investigations. International organizations and human rights organizations are being called upon to intervene and exert pressure to counter these human rights violations.
As early as March, Kongra Star, a women’s organization in Northeast Syria, launched a campaign for the release of prisoners. 349 signatures of civil figures and institutions were collected. All of these individuals and organizations declared that the issue of the disappeared is a matter of human dignity that allows for no compromise and no delay.
Situation in Iran
Following the latest escalations in the Iran–USA–Israel war, the United States and Iran agreed to a two-week ceasefire. Prior to this, the President of the United States, Donald Trump, had announced a ground offensive and the deliberate destruction of infrastructure.
Wars always bring suffering to the civilian population.
In the shadow of this war, the Islamic republic of iran continues the destruction of its own population, targeting especially opposition figures who stand up for human and fundamental rights. Prison sentences are also imposed, which for many people means a life of torture, hunger, and harsh conditions.
Iran is regularly among the countries with the highest number of executions worldwide. Hundreds of people are executed each year, many of them after trials that do not meet any international standards of justice.
The executions of demonstrators who were arrested during the “Women, Life, Freedom” uprising in 2022 shocked the world.
We also see the same pattern in historical examples: whenever the Iranian state escalates its military conflicts, the number of executions within the country rises dramatically. Under the pretext of “national security,” “espionage,” and “enmity against God,” thousands are arrested and hundreds are executed.
On Wednesday, Free Women’s Community of Eastern Kurdistan (KJAR) announced in a press statement the campaign “No to the Death Penalty, Yes to a Free Life.” The international public is being called upon to raise their voices and stop the killings in Iran.
The UN Security Council, the UN Human Rights Council, as well as organizations such as Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and Reporters Without Borders must monitor the executions and wartime conditions, assess them from a human rights perspective, and take action. The International Criminal Court and UN Special Rapporteurs must also investigate these war crimes and classify them as crimes against humanity. The media must fulfill their responsibility in reporting.
The international public must not look away when a state destroys its own population.
Right to Hope
In times when the spread of military conflicts is becoming increasingly difficult to grasp, when all imperial powers are focused on rearming, reintroducing conscription, and creating narratives of war scenarios and the necessity of defense—not to promote peace, democracy, human rights, and a healthy society.
Therefore, Abdullah Öcalan’s commitment to peace and democracy is all the more significant. This commitment, which is reflected in the peace processes he has led in Turkey as well as globally, is a necessity for building justice.
A decisive step in this regard is Abdullah Öcalan’s physical freedom. Voices around the world are growing louder and are calling—like the Noon Initiative—for an end to Abdullah Öcalan’s isolation in İmralı prison.
Sawsan Shoman, the spokesperson of the initiative, criticizes that his health condition is unclear and sees this as a violation of international human rights standards.
The initiative emphasizes the importance of public advocacy and legal measures, particularly to strengthen the “right to hope.” The right to hope is a principle recognized under international law, derived from Article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). It states that even individuals sentenced to life imprisonment must have a real prospect of release. This right has been confirmed in several rulings by the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR).
She also calls for increased international pressure and transparency. Turkey’s policy on the Kurdish question is also criticized. The aim is to establish the case more strongly as a global human rights issue.
Implementation of Decree No. 13
On Monday, April 6, the implementation of Decree No. 13 was initiated in various cities of Rojava. Legislative Decree No. 13, issued by Al-Sharaa on January 16, 2026, includes the recognition of Syrian citizenship for all citizens of Kurdish origin, including stateless persons, who are to be granted Syrian citizenship.
The decree also includes the official recognition of Kurdish culture and language as part of a diverse and unified Syrian society.
In the cities of Qamishlo, Çil Agha, Derik, and Hasakah, centers have opened to receive and process these applications. This phase will last for one month.
Individual and family applications can be submitted with identification documents, such as ID papers, as well as rental or electricity bills.
People living abroad are not covered by this agreement.
The registration of many citizens is still based on an extraordinary census from October 5, 1962, in which many Kurds were denied Syrian citizenship. The number of stateless people exceeds 500,000.
Abdel Rahman Farho, the committee member responsible for registration, stated:
“Today we have begun registering stateless persons who are currently treated as foreigners. This is a serious problem that the community has suffered from for many years. This step is considered the first step toward solving this problem. Since the first day, we have seen strong participation from citizens, which is a positive sign of the scale of suffering among the population, especially in the Hasakah governorate.”
Kobani
In Kobani, the strength and determination of society and its organization are evident. After the Syrian transitional government appointed a mayor from Çelebiyê in Kobani, the population took to the streets, protested, and denounced this patronizing decision. They demanded an independent election to fill the position.
As a result of public resistance and subsequent negotiations between democratic forces and Damascus, Elmaz Romê was appointed mayor of Kobani on Monday.
She was previously co-chair of the Ecology Committee of the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria and is considered an experienced political representative of the self-administration structures. She was also active in the Kurdish women’s umbrella organization Kongra Star.
The fact that a woman was appointed mayor is a significant sign. She is the first woman to be appointed mayor since the integration agreement.
An initial step has been taken toward ensuring that women’s perspectives are included in political and social decision-making.
Activist Sahbaa Farij
The activist Sahbaa Farij, executive director of the organization “For Feminism” in Raqqa, emphasizes key points that must be included in the new Syrian constitution.
Women’s rights must be explicitly and clearly anchored in the new constitution, along with fair representation and effective participation in all state institutions.
She explicitly highlights the need for equal participation in political decision-making and in government positions.
Clear constitutional provisions are necessary. She states:
“The constitution must protect human rights in general and include clear clauses guaranteeing the rights of women from all groups, as well as genuine representation and the non-exclusion or marginalization of any group in Syrian society.”
Another important point is an independent, corruption-free judiciary to ensure the implementation of the constitution and its provisions, and thereby guarantee fair representation of women of all backgrounds and religions.
Farij emphasized that addressing the past is the most important form of accountability. This requires reparations for affected communities, guarantees of non-repetition, and moral compensation.
Protests in Raqqa
Workers at a mill in Raqqa staged a sit-in in front of the governorate building to protest unpaid wages that have not been paid since the end of December 2025. They are demanding immediate payment as well as permanent employment contracts, after the mill is reportedly to be transferred to an investor.
At the same time, there are also daily protests by sanitation workers in Raqqa, who have likewise not received salaries since the beginning of the year.
With that, we send revolutionary greetings from Rojava.
