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Dear friends,
We are reaching out with the latest news from Rojava, the heart of the women’s revolution.
Rojava is a region in North and East Syria. Many population groups such as Arabs, Kurds, Assyrians, Armenians, and many others live here together.
Since 2012, when the Arab Spring reached Rojava and opposition groups began openly organizing against the Assad regime, the revolution has flourished. Since then, society has organized itself in communes, councils, and especially as women. The people here are convinced that society can only live in freedom and democracy if women are no longer oppressed, but are able to live according to their own free will.
The news reports how people in Rojava are putting this into practice, but also the forces against which they must defend this democratic project.
We Are All YPJ – Self-Defense is a Fundamental Right
Today, hundreds of women gathered on the stage of the stadium in Qamishlo. They held YPJ flags high and stood with determination and seriousness. On a banner hanging from the stage railing it reads:
“Em hemû YPJ ne” – We are all YPJ … “YPJ herbûna me ye” – YPJ is our self-defense.
Women from Kongra Star today launched the solidarity campaign “We Are All YPJ” and called for support from democratic forces. On this occasion, Kongra Star released a statement in Arabic, Kurdish, and Assyrian.
Since the beginning of the war of aggression on January 6, women and their organizations have been increasingly targeted. In negotiations over the integration agreement between the Syrian transitional government and the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria, disagreements remain. In particular, the integration of the Women’s Protection Units (YPJ) into the Syrian army, as well as the recognition of women’s rights and institutions, is rejected by the Syrian transitional government.
Therefore, a central demand of the campaign is the recognition and integration of the YPJ as an independent unit within the Syrian army, in order to ensure the long-term protection of women and democratic values.
The YPJ (Women’s Protection Units) gained international recognition through their fight against ISIS in 2017 and their role in protecting the population. For them, defense is not only military resistance, but also education, self-organization, and awareness of women’s rights.
The women firmly state that they will not accept this situation and that they will defend the achievements they have fought for over the past 13 years.
We must understand: if the Syrian transitional government does not recognize the YPJ, it does not recognize democracy in Syria either. Therefore, we express our solidarity with the YPJ worldwide.
“It is not merely about the use of weapons, but about standing up for one’s rights, identity – for everything that belongs to being human. We try to create this awareness: an attack on one woman is an attack on all women. In this sense, women must organize themselves. When unity and solidarity emerge, we will all become stronger.”
Newroz Ehmed – YPJ fighter
Qaraçox
On April 25, hundreds of families went to Mount Qaraçox. In respect and deep remembrance of the 20 martyrs (şehids) who fell in 2017 due to an airstrike by the Turkish state, people climbed the mountain. At the top, they gathered in front of a stage. A minute of silence was held to remember the lives and values for which the fallen fought. These ideas of a democratic and free life for all continue to be lived by the population.
In a speech, it was recalled what happened on Mount Qaraçox nine years ago:
“At that historical moment, when the eyes of the world were focused on the operations of the YPG, YPJ, and SDF against ISIS, the Turkish occupying state launched a brutal attack on the operational command center. Mount Qaraçox served as the main headquarters of the YPG/YPJ, the media center of the units, the headquarters of Rojava Radio, and various other military institutions.
More than 25 fighter jets bombed Mount Qaraçox. With this attack, the Turkish state showed that it aimed to prevent the fight against ISIS in 2017.”
The population was in deep mourning. Nevertheless, the People’s Defense Units (YPG), the Women’s Protection Units (YPJ), and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), as well as institutions and the population, continued their work with even greater determination.
Guided by the idea of a life in peace, the strongest strength can be mobilized.
Day of Liberation of Italy from Nazi Fascism
Many people today, on April 25, commemorated not only the fallen of Qaraçox, but also the fallen Partisans in Italy.
In September 1943, young Italian fighters organized in Nazi-occupied Italy — known as the Partigiani — and carried out the struggle against the Nazi German regime and the Italian fascist regime.
What initially began as individual resistance developed into a mass movement. Among them, more than 70,000 women took responsibility for defending their people and their country. They not only sacrificed their lives in armed struggle but also educated themselves and society in the spirit of freedom.
Of all these women, only 40 received recognition for their contribution and sacrifice.
Today, we commemorate this day as a day of the şehids (martyrs), because it was through their sacrifice and dreams that the resistance of the communal society achieved victory – even if only for a short time.
In her diary, Ada Gobetti writes:
“I felt that another battle was beginning: longer, more difficult, more exhausting. It was no longer just about fighting arrogance, cruelty, and violence – things that are easy to recognize and hate – but also about fighting within ourselves and among us: not only to destroy, but to clarify, affirm, and build. This new reality is exactly what we all – men and women – want to create for tomorrow. But will we succeed?”
WDR Campaign
In the first week of the WDR campaign, the women’s institution Kongra Star and the commune system in North and East Syria were introduced.
A central principle of the ideology of women’s liberation is organization. It connects the individual and the community and is considered essential for overcoming oppression. On this basis, Kongra Star was founded in 2005 to organize, empower, and mobilize women in Rojava. The organization played an important role in the Kurdish women’s revolution from 2012 onward and continues to support the self-organization of women from different communities.
Within Kongra Star’s umbrella organization, women work in various committees covering all areas of life, including health, justice, art and culture, ecology, economy, press, social affairs, diplomacy, finance, and education.
A core element of the political system in North and East Syria is the grassroots democratic commune and council system, in which people collectively decide on their living conditions. Women additionally organize in separate structures to strengthen their rights and participation. An important principle is the co-chair system, in which leadership positions are always shared by one woman and one man.
The work of the communes covers many areas of life such as education, economy, health, and self-defense. This system is continuously evolving and presents itself as an alternative to the nation-state model, focusing on social participation and collective responsibility.
However, this structure is currently under serious threat: in areas controlled by the Syrian transitional government, many women’s organizations and communal structures have been dissolved or destroyed. In Kurdish-majority regions, they continue to exist but remain under pressure and struggle for recognition.
