Fwd: Thank you and an update

[Socialist Party India]

---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: shabnam hashmi <shabna...@gmail.com>
Date: Sat, Jan 31, 2026 at 12:13 AM
Subject: Thank you and an update
To: shabnam hashmi <shabna...@gmail.com>

Thank you for signing the statement . 

Kindly see the last para which has been added due to the developments today. We will release the statement tomorrow 

*Statement of Solidarity: Defending the Rojava Women’s Revolution in North and East Syria*

A Beacon of Hope Under Siege

For the past 14 years, the Democratic Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria—often known as the Rojava revolution—has built a unique democratic project that stands as a model for free and equal coexistence. In a region often plagued by conflict, this administration has protected humanity from the terror of the Islamic State (IS) and established a society based on the vision of living together in peace across ethnic and religious lines.
What makes this revolution distinct—and vital for women everywhere to understand—is that it is led by women. Inspired by the Kurdish slogan and philosophy ‘Jin Jiyan Azadî’ (Women, Life, Freedom), women have been at the forefront of building an egalitarian social system.
* Political Power: They have implemented a "co-chair" system where every administrative level must be led by one woman and one man, guaranteeing that women’s perspectives shape all decisions.
* Economic Independence: Women have established cooperatives to earn their own money, ensuring independence from men.
* Education: They have created women’s academies and their own platforms—such as the umbrella organization Kongra Star and the Arab Women's Union Zenobiya—to educate themselves and develop a new science, Jineolojî, from a woman's perspective.
Through their struggle, these women have demonstrated that a democratic, inclusive future is possible. They have always emphasized: “We have defended the women’s revolution with our sacrifices. We lead our struggle on behalf of all women in the world.”

The Return of Fundamentalist Terror
Today, this beacon of women's rights is facing a genocidal campaign of destruction. The Syrian Interim Government, under interim president al-Shaara, has effectively declared war on this democratic project. Since January 6, the situation has escalated dramatically. After militias launched military attacks on Kurdish neighborhoods in Aleppo—forcing hundreds of thousands to flee and committing brutal massacres—they have turned their sights on North and East Syria, surrounding the region on all sides.
These attacks represent a massive escalation of systematic violence against women. Fundamentalist groups, driven by a deeply misogynistic and patriarchal mindset, are targeting, kidnapping, and subjecting women to sexual violence. They are using terror against women as a weapon to break entire communities. Horrific reports and videos are coming from the region showing women's bodies being deliberately desecrated, mutilated, and thrown from houses.

History Repeating Itself
These practices are a chilling echo of the past. We recognize these patterns from previous offensives by the Islamic State (IS), such as the genocide and feminicide of the Ezidi people in 2014. Like IS, these current fundamentalist factions use systematic violence against women as an ideological tool to destroy the political and social roles women have fought so hard to secure.
Recent footage from the city of Tebqa shows extremist fighters destroying a statue of a female fighter. This statue symbolized the resistance of the Women's Defence Units (YPJ), the all-female force that drove IS out of the region. By destroying these symbols, these groups declare their intention to erase women from the public sphere once again.

The Siege of Kobane
The city of Kobane, a global symbol of resistance where the defeat of IS began, is once again at the center of the storm. This city is now surrounded by troops of the Syrian Interim Government and allied fundamentalist gangs. They have cut off electricity, water, medicine, food, and heating oil. Combined with the harsh winter cold, this blockade has already led to the tragic deaths of five children.
Furthermore, in areas now occupied by these armed forces, prisons holding former IS members are reportedly being breached, releasing dangerous extremists back into the world. This is an attempt to reactivate forces that pose a danger not just to the region, but to global security.

A Call to Women in India and Beyond
The current war against the peoples of North and East Syria is an aggression against all of us. It targets the gains and values of our shared struggles for women’s rights, freedom, and justice—everywhere.
Every message of solidarity gives collective strength to those on the front lines. We call on all women in India and worldwide to recognize this struggle as their own and to show their solidarity with the women of North and East Syria.
Towards a Sustainable and Just Peace

We welcome today’s development and the halt to the war, following a period of intense violence during which our statement was initiated. While this moment marks an important step, a sustainable and just peace requires safeguarding the political, legal, and civil achievements of the Kurdish people and women in the region, while opening a path toward the democratization of Syria and the wider region. In this context, it is essential to ensure constitutionally guaranteed rights for the Kurdish people and other minorities in North and East Syria, the official recognition of the Autonomous Self-Administration, the protection and guarantee of women’s hard-won achievements, and the safe, voluntary, and dignified return of displaced populations—particularly to Afrin and Serêkanî (Ras al-Ayn).
Jin Jiyan Azadî! – Women, Life, Freedom!