The CPT Iraqi Kurdistan team joins the call for solidarity with the people of Rojava. Two members of the CPT team, together with a group of civil rights activists and independent journalists from Slêmanî, travel to North-East Syria to provide international presence and solidarity with the Kurdish-led civilian resistance and the defense of life.
For over 20 years, CPT has accompanied civil rights defenders and nonviolent resistance in the face of Turkish and other foreign military attacks in South Kurdistan and Iraq. Today, as the hard-won autonomy of Rojava and the rights and lives of its people face an existential threat— amid mounting fears of ethnic cleansing and other mass atrocities— the CPT team has decided it cannot stand aside.
Across Kurdistan, people are experiencing a profound sense of betrayal by Western governments that once supported the administration of Rojava. These governments have now largely abandoned it, choosing instead to support and normalize relations with the current Syrian regime under the false pretext of a “unified Syria.”
The people of Rojava stood on the frontlines against ISIS and built a model of women’s freedom and coexistence. Rojava territory is home to Kurds alongside Arab, Assyrian, Armenian, Yezidi, and other communities, who together created one of the region’s most democratic and pluralistic societies.
Today, that society is being crushed by forces aligned with the Syrian transitional authorities, including former ISIS-affiliated groups. Contrary to public assurances by the Syrian President regarding the protection of Kurdish rights, government forces backed by Turkey are carrying out assaults marked by grave crimes: mass displacement, the killing of children, sexual violence against women, the public beheading of prisoners, the desecration of bodies, and other atrocities. Fears are mounting that an ethnic cleansing may follow.
We call on the governments and international organizations: Do not stand aside! There is still time to stop the atrocities and destruction from unfolding with full force. The diversity of the Syrian people is Syria’s strength, not its artificial “unity” under the rule of a new violent regime.
We call on civil society: Do not stand aside. Take part in CPT’s Call to Action.
Organize and speak up to those who can put pressure on Syria’s authorities. Demand the respect for rights and guarantees of protection for the people of Rojava.
