The justice system is a system of social justice based on the ethical and political principles of society. Its goal is to build a society that adopts a democratic and ecological approach and vision, with women’s freedom as its foundation and life as its fundamental value. Society is its starting point; it protects the rights of the individual in social life in accordance with the foundations of the Social Contract and is based on the universal principles of justice and human rights. It resolves issues related to justice through its own institutions, in which justice is achieved through the participation of the population and the organization of democratically constituted local units.
Article 114 of the AADNES Social Contract (2023)
Building a democratic, autonomous system based on the principles of Democratic Confederalism in Rojava and North and East Syria (‘DAANES’), has brought about many changes in all aspects of collective and social life, but perhaps one of the most interesting has been the transformation of the justice system, since the legal system is one of the fundamental pillars of the state. By contrast, the objective of the justice system in DAANES is that whenever possible the community itself resolves problems and conflicts that arise within the community, with issues referred to other bodies only when no community-based solution can be found.
For this reason, one of the first committees established in all communes was the Reconciliation Committee, tasked with mediating between the parties affected by a conflict to reach a solution acceptable to all involved. The people who make up these committees are community members who know and understand the context, stories, and situations of those living alongside them, and can therefore find solutions more appropriate than those offered by the legal system. If the problem is not resolved through community mediation, the case can be brought before the social courts, where a mutually agreed resolution is still sought, and if this is not possible, a decision is made about how the situation should be resolved.
Alongside this, like all other structures in Rojava, there is an autonomous justice system, meaning a separate women’s structure. At the heart of the autonomous justice system are the Mala Jin (women’s houses), where women intervene to resolve situations that affect them and ensure their rights are respected. At the initiative of the women’s movement, the Women’s Lawswere passed in 2014 (later incorporated into the Family Laws), which formalised the rights of women in the region and sought to put an end to practices such as child marriage, polygyny, violence against women and femicide, all of which occurred with alarming frequency in the region and throughout Syria.
Although it was not easy at first, most issues are now resolved through society’s own structures, and only a small proportion reach the courts.
Justice in the current integration process
In the current process of integration with the Syrian state, justice is one of the areas of negotiation where obstacles to reaching an agreement remain. Dialogue between the Ministry of Justice and representatives of the DAANES Justice Council began in April with a visit by a delegation from the transitional government’s Ministry of Justice to the Qamishlo court. Reports revealed that the transitional government delegation sought to impose its conditions by reinstating Ba’athist judges—affiliated with the former regime—and appointing them to the courts.
The transitional government has demanded that judges and staff of the autonomous system cease their duties on the understanding that they could later apply for reappointment within the new structure. Contrary to the agreement reached on January 29 2026, they also demanded all files and cases related to residents be handed over to the Ministry of Justice. Workers and representatives of the DAANES justice system did not accept these demands and continue to insist on their right to administer institutions within the region, while a mechanism could be established to ensure the joint management of case files and courts.
The status of the autonomous women’s justice system and the Mala Jin remains to be determined. One of the main obstacles is that the transitional government refuses to recognise the role of women in the justice system as judges or lawyers. For now, our sisters continue working as before, though with the understanding that they will have to fight hard to maintain their institutions and norms. The most concerning issue is that of the Women’s Laws, as there are contradictions between their provisions and the transitional government’s legal framework on matters such as child marriage or polygyny. Our sisters working in the autonomous justice system and the Mala Jin are committed to defending a justice system that guarantees the rights and freedoms women have achieved over the past decade of revolution in Rojava.
