Syria officially recognises Kurdish rights for the first time and restores their citizenship
Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa has signed a decree that recognises the rights of Syrian Kurds at the state level for the first time. This was reported by the state agency SANA on 16 January, according to Reuters.
The document provides for the official recognition of Kurdish identity as part of the national fabric of Syria. The Kurdish language will receive national status alongside Arabic, and educational institutions will have the right to teach it. In addition, the decree restores Syrian citizenship to all Kurds who lost it due to the 1962 census in the province of Hasakah, including those who have been considered stateless for decades.
The decision was made after serious clashes broke out last week in the northern city of Aleppo. According to the Syrian Ministry of Health, at least 23 people were killed and more than 150,000 were forced to leave two Kurdish districts of the city. The fighting stopped after the Kurdish forces retreated.
The decree also declares Nowruz, the spring and New Year holiday, a paid national holiday. The document prohibits any ethnic or linguistic discrimination, obliges state institutions to use inclusive national rhetoric, and provides for punishment for inciting inter-ethnic hostility.
Against the backdrop of these steps, the question of political integration remains open. The Syrian government and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, which control the north-east of the country, have been negotiating over the past year to integrate Kurdish military and civilian structures into state institutions by the end of 2025. However, no significant progress has been made in this process so far.
Source and photo: Reuters
Syria, Kurds, Aleppo
