Dear friends,
The future of the Women’s Protection Units (YPJ)
As part of the dialogue with the Syrian transitional government, discussions on the future of the Women’s Protection Units (YPJ) are continuing, with proposals on the table to integrate the units into the Ministry of the Interior as an independent counter-terrorism unit. Women’s organisations and activists have emphasised that any future arrangement must recognise women’s wishes and their experiences in self-defence, whilst at the same time safeguarding the legal and organisational status of the YPJ, which it has earned through years of struggle as a vital force in protecting society and building a democratic Syria.
Women, the Constitution and Shaping Syria’s Future
This week, the Syrian Women’s Forum for Building the Future discussed ways to strengthen the role of women in drafting the new constitution, consolidating civil peace and building a democratic Syria based on justice and equality. The forum’s participants emphasised that the protection of women’s rights requires ensuring their effective representation in decision-making bodies, enshrining constitutional and legal guarantees for equality, strengthening the role of women in peacebuilding, preserving Syria’s cultural diversity, and recognising the experiences of women in northern and eastern Syria as a model for women’s political and social participation.
Justice for female fighters and the protection of their rights
The Women’s Council of the Democratic Union Party (PYD) condemned the life sentence imposed on YPJ fighter Çiçek Kobanê, who was captured in 2019 by the jihadist militia ‘Ahrar al-Sham’ and abducted to Turkey. It described the abduction and sentencing as a violation of international law and an attack on women who have defended their communities against IS. Turkey confirmed the sentence, which had already been handed down in 2021, on 24 July following a years-long appeal process.
In its statement, the Women’s Council called for international action to ensure justice, protect the rights of those detained and hold those responsible for such violations to account.
The 12th anniversary of the Sinjar genocide
To mark the twelfth anniversary of the Sinjar genocide, many political and civil society actors in the region have used the occasion to reaffirm their solidarity and to reiterate their calls for international recognition of the genocide committed against the Yazidi community, for those responsible to be held to account, and for clarity regarding the fate of the missing women and children. They also emphasised the need to protect the Yazidi community and to ensure the safe and dignified return of the people of Sinjar. They emphasised that preventing a recurrence of such atrocities requires strengthening the community’s self-defence mechanisms, as well as recognising the role of the Women’s Protection Units (YPJ) in rescuing thousands of civilians and defending women during the ISIS attacks. These are fundamental guarantees against future acts of genocide targeting women and ethnic or religious communities.
Wheat – the heart of agriculture, culture and tradition in Rojava
Wheat is of great importance to Rojava and the Cizire region. As part of Mesopotamia’s Fertile Crescent, agriculture and wheat production are millennia-old traditions in the region, which continue to have a major influence on people’s lives to this day. The harvest is over and, in keeping with tradition, the people in the villages and neighbourhoods come together and cooked wheat is distributed. This year, with the aim of highlighting and preserving the history and culture of agriculture – and wheat in particular – in the region, the first Wheat Festival took place in the Cizire region in Qamishlo. The festival showcased traditional food as well as old tools used in agriculture and food production.
Many women’s organisations and groups, such as Jinwar and the Free Women’s Foundation, were also present and showcased handicrafts and homemade food products centred on the theme of wheat. They took the opportunity to highlight the importance of women to agricultural culture, to present their projects and to sell products in order to fund their initiatives.
With this, we send you revolutionary greetings from Rojava
