PYD…Two decades of struggle against the intimidation of the nation-state
Over two decades of relentless and ongoing struggle to establish the concept of a democratic nation and create the appropriate conditions for resolving the Kurdish issue, the Democratic Union Party (PYD) is working on building an ethical and political society, and fostering a democratic environment and a decentralized system amid the rampant chaos witnessed in the Middle East.
September 20th marks the twenty-first anniversary of the founding of the Democratic Union Party (PYD). ANHA's agency highlights the factors, necessity, and the phase that preceded the establishment of the party, along with the conferences it held and its vision for resolving the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.
The factors, necessity, and the phase that preceded its establishment
Syria intersect with points of convergence and commonalities with its counterparts in the Middle East, without overlooking its differences. Since the birth and establishment of the Syrian state, instability and chaos have been constants throughout the eras it has experienced. The foundation and birth were backed by colonial and imperial powers, particularly Britain and France, along with other pillars of capitalist modernity who shared the legacy of the "sick man" of the Ottoman Empire.
In Syria, the taste of freedom has remained elusive, much like in all Middle Eastern countries; the concept of the nation-state has been a key factor in the tragic causes, elements, and outcomes that have shaped the suffering, pain, and calamities of the region's peoples. The designation of Syria as the Syrian Arab Republic, the chaos of leadership, the presidency, and authoritarian rule through a nationalist mindset, along with the Syrian constitution tailored to the Ba'ath Party, emergency laws, martial law, and the imposition of violence, force, and intimidation; the rampant phenomena of collaboration, brokerage, and bribery, and the suppression of languages and cultures, especially Kurdish all of these have created a tangible foundation for rejecting the status quo and seeking an alternative.
As for Rojava, the suffering was multiplied; the policies of cultural and physical extermination, as well as the agreements and treaties made between the four states colonizing Kurdistan regarding the fate of the Kurdish people, the latest being the Adana Agreement, the denial of terms related to Kurdish existence and identity, the prohibition and restriction of the Kurdish language and culture, the tightening and stifling of freedoms, and the lack of constitutional recognition, the implementation of Arabization policies, and the deprivation of hundreds of thousands of Kurds of citizenship through the infamous 1962 census, the imposition of the Arab belt, and the renaming of villages, to the extent that a Kurdish newborn was denied the freedom to have a Kurdish name, and Kurdish parties were barred from legislative elections to represent the will of their people, along with security and intelligence measures that prevented all cultural activities. In short, this was the situation of the Kurdish people in Rojava before the revolution of July 19.
The founding conference of the Democratic Union Party.
The practical and applied translation, along with the essence of all the aforementioned pains and tragedies that the Kurdish people have endured, was embodied in the announcement of the birth and establishment of the Democratic Union Party (PYD) at the founding conference on September 20, 2003.
This task and its preparation fell on the shoulders of the cadres, the sons of Rojava, including administrators and front-line fighters from the Kurdish people. The preparation period lasted for several months, filled with discussions, diverse dialogues, and opinions, relying on the revolutionary legacy of the martyrs that was formed in Rojava.
The conference was attended by dozens of people from Rojava, including cadres, and administrators. The conference lasted a full week of discussions, during which Zardasht Hajo was elected as the party president, and a party council of 25 members was elected.
Among the outcomes of the founding conference:
The struggle for the physical freedom of leader Abdullah Ocalan.
- Preparation for a new democratic constitution and development of the parliamentary system based on democratic decentralized pluralism in Syria.
- Empowering women's role, and holding ideological training for Cadres
-Supporting and assisting the families of martyrs.
Second Conference of PYD
The PYD considered this conference a start to purify the party from the liquidationism and confront treason, after assassination a group of the party's founders, including martyr Maysaa Baqi (Sheelan), and her four comrades Zakaria Ibrahim, Hikmat Tokmak (Fouad), Nabu Ali (Jamil), and Haji Juma Ali (Joan) during the second return to Rojava on November 29, 2004 through an intelligence conspiracy.
The Rojava square also witnessed the first uprising months after the party was founded (the Qamishli uprising of March 12, 2004), which could have been a Syrian revolution and a real Middle East Spring. However, the regional and international authoritarian powers conspired again the revolution through sowing of discord, the persecution of activists and party cadres, mainly the martyrdom of party council member Ahmed Hussein (Abu Judi) under torture on August 2, 2004, while the fate of party administrator Nazli Kajel remains unknown.
Due to this circumstances, the emergency conference was held on February 10, 2005, with the attendance of about 150 members, during which Fouad Omar was elected party president, in addition to 25 members.
Third Conference of PYD
The third and second conferences constituted a major turning point towards correcting the party’s path through self-criticism, accountability, representing the philosophy of the democratic nation, and following the approach of the third line, (building a moral, political, ecological society that guarantees women’s freedom) according to the concept proposed by leader Abdullah Ocalan.
PYD's fourth Conference
This conference was held on March 27, 2007 and lasted for three days, Fuad Omar was re-elected as president and 25 members of the council. The conference organized the people through communes and councils in response to the directives of leader Abdullah Ocalan, but the work was not as required for many reasons, including counter-campaigns by the Baath Party and its intelligence services and the arbitrary arrests that affected party cadres, including the martyr Osman Dadali, who was martyred under torture on February 18, 2008.
The fifth conference of the party was held on June 16, 2012 in the Burj Al-Ahlam Hall in the city of Qamishli, under the slogan "From a Free Democratic Syria towards the Democratic Autonomous Administration of Rojava" with the attendance of 2,000 members, audiences and guests.
Perhaps the most important feature of the fifth conference was the joint presidency system with the election of Asiya Abdullah and Salih Muslim as joint presidents, and the forming institutions, communes and councils.
The Sixth Conference focused on the Unity of the Kurdish and Syrian Ranks
On September 20, 2015, unprecedented crowds attended the sixth conference of the PYD in the town of Rumailan in Jazira Canton, with the attendance of 70 leading figures from political parties and forces, most notably Mala Bakhtiar, the prominent leader in the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, in addition to the attendance of delegations from France, Denmark, Norway, Tunisia, Egypt, Sudan, and delegations from Kurdish parties in Rojava and Syrian opposition forces.
The conference adopted a number of decisions regarding the unity of the Syrian ranks, as well as communicating with all Kurdish parties in Syria and other parts to reducing migration from Kurdistan, which poses a threat to the components of Mesopotamia in general and to the Kurdish people in particular, as most of the conference participants believe that this migration is a systematic act by some parties that were unable to change the demographics through violence, so they resorted to this method to implement their plans.
Finally, the conference participants elected Asia Abdullah and Saleh Muslim for the joint presidency for a second term by a majority of the conference participants. Thirty-seven members were also elected to the party council, with 16 women successfully participating in the council, with women’s representation reaching 43%.
Fundamentally,the Seventh Conference focused on the Federalization of Syria
On September 27-28, 2017, the party’s seventh conference was held in Jazira Canton with the participation of 450 party members from all party organizations inside and outside the country.
The conference participants elected Aisha Hassou and Shahoz Hassan for the joint presidency, and 49 members were elected to the party council, including 20 women.
While the eighth conference of the PYD focused on the priority of liberating the occupied Syrian regions, it was held under the slogan "With democratic union we defeat the occupation, develop Autonomous Administration and build a democratic Syria" on February 24, 2020, with the participation of 650 members in the city of Rumailan, where Aisha Hasso and Anwar Muslim were elected as Co-Chairs along with 90 members of the General Council and 7 members for the Disciplinary Committee.
The most important outcomes of the conference:
- Working to hold a conference in the name of the Socialist International on Afrin, Serekaniye and Gire Spi.
- Resolving the Kurdish issue in Syria.
- Opening new academies and focusing on training members and intensifying cooperation to confront the hostile world.
- Taking all diplomatic and political means and all legitimate cases to liberate the occupied regions, working within the framework of the Syrian Democratic Council to hold a general national conference in Syria.
The ninth conference of the PYD was held in the city of Hasaka on June 18, 2022 focused on self-protection
The ninth conference of the party , and lasted for three days, with the participation of 700 members.
Asya Abdullah and Salih Muslim were elected as co-chairs, along with 149 members of the General Council and a disciplinary committee of 7 members, and all party members were considered members of the essential community protection and members of the communes, in addition to opposing all authoritarian concepts, developing the control mechanism as well, and participating effectively in the historic campaign under the slogan "Physical Freedom for Leader Abdullah Ocalan and the Political Solution to the Kurdish Issue".
This month of September, specifically on the 21th, will witness the 10th General Conference of the PYD following a series of conferences in Rojava and Europe for the General Conference.
T/Satt- a.k
ANHA
PYD…Two decades of struggle against the intimidation of the nation-state
September 20th marks the twenty-first anniversary of the founding of the Democratic Union Party (PYD). ANHA's agency highlights the factors, necessity, and the phase that preceded the establishment of the party, along with the conferences it held and its vision for resolving the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.
The factors, necessity, and the phase that preceded its establishment
Syria intersect with points of convergence and commonalities with its counterparts in the Middle East, without overlooking its differences. Since the birth and establishment of the Syrian state, instability and chaos have been constants throughout the eras it has experienced. The foundation and birth were backed by colonial and imperial powers, particularly Britain and France, along with other pillars of capitalist modernity who shared the legacy of the "sick man" of the Ottoman Empire.
In Syria, the taste of freedom has remained elusive, much like in all Middle Eastern countries; the concept of the nation-state has been a key factor in the tragic causes, elements, and outcomes that have shaped the suffering, pain, and calamities of the region's peoples. The designation of Syria as the Syrian Arab Republic, the chaos of leadership, the presidency, and authoritarian rule through a nationalist mindset, along with the Syrian constitution tailored to the Ba'ath Party, emergency laws, martial law, and the imposition of violence, force, and intimidation; the rampant phenomena of collaboration, brokerage, and bribery, and the suppression of languages and cultures, especially Kurdish all of these have created a tangible foundation for rejecting the status quo and seeking an alternative.
As for Rojava, the suffering was multiplied; the policies of cultural and physical extermination, as well as the agreements and treaties made between the four states colonizing Kurdistan regarding the fate of the Kurdish people, the latest being the Adana Agreement, the denial of terms related to Kurdish existence and identity, the prohibition and restriction of the Kurdish language and culture, the tightening and stifling of freedoms, and the lack of constitutional recognition, the implementation of Arabization policies, and the deprivation of hundreds of thousands of Kurds of citizenship through the infamous 1962 census, the imposition of the Arab belt, and the renaming of villages, to the extent that a Kurdish newborn was denied the freedom to have a Kurdish name, and Kurdish parties were barred from legislative elections to represent the will of their people, along with security and intelligence measures that prevented all cultural activities. In short, this was the situation of the Kurdish people in Rojava before the revolution of July 19.
The founding conference of the Democratic Union Party.
The practical and applied translation, along with the essence of all the aforementioned pains and tragedies that the Kurdish people have endured, was embodied in the announcement of the birth and establishment of the Democratic Union Party (PYD) at the founding conference on September 20, 2003.
This task and its preparation fell on the shoulders of the cadres, the sons of Rojava, including administrators and front-line fighters from the Kurdish people. The preparation period lasted for several months, filled with discussions, diverse dialogues, and opinions, relying on the revolutionary legacy of the martyrs that was formed in Rojava.
The conference was attended by dozens of people from Rojava, including cadres, and administrators. The conference lasted a full week of discussions, during which Zardasht Hajo was elected as the party president, and a party council of 25 members was elected.
Among the outcomes of the founding conference:
The struggle for the physical freedom of leader Abdullah Ocalan.
- Preparation for a new democratic constitution and development of the parliamentary system based on democratic decentralized pluralism in Syria.
- Empowering women's role, and holding ideological training for Cadres
-Supporting and assisting the families of martyrs.
Second Conference of PYD
The PYD considered this conference a start to purify the party from the liquidationism and confront treason, after assassination a group of the party's founders, including martyr Maysaa Baqi (Sheelan), and her four comrades Zakaria Ibrahim, Hikmat Tokmak (Fouad), Nabu Ali (Jamil), and Haji Juma Ali (Joan) during the second return to Rojava on November 29, 2004 through an intelligence conspiracy.
The Rojava square also witnessed the first uprising months after the party was founded (the Qamishli uprising of March 12, 2004), which could have been a Syrian revolution and a real Middle East Spring. However, the regional and international authoritarian powers conspired again the revolution through sowing of discord, the persecution of activists and party cadres, mainly the martyrdom of party council member Ahmed Hussein (Abu Judi) under torture on August 2, 2004, while the fate of party administrator Nazli Kajel remains unknown.
Due to this circumstances, the emergency conference was held on February 10, 2005, with the attendance of about 150 members, during which Fouad Omar was elected party president, in addition to 25 members.
Third Conference of PYD
The third and second conferences constituted a major turning point towards correcting the party’s path through self-criticism, accountability, representing the philosophy of the democratic nation, and following the approach of the third line, (building a moral, political, ecological society that guarantees women’s freedom) according to the concept proposed by leader Abdullah Ocalan.
PYD's fourth Conference
This conference was held on March 27, 2007 and lasted for three days, Fuad Omar was re-elected as president and 25 members of the council. The conference organized the people through communes and councils in response to the directives of leader Abdullah Ocalan, but the work was not as required for many reasons, including counter-campaigns by the Baath Party and its intelligence services and the arbitrary arrests that affected party cadres, including the martyr Osman Dadali, who was martyred under torture on February 18, 2008.
The fifth conference of the party was held on June 16, 2012 in the Burj Al-Ahlam Hall in the city of Qamishli, under the slogan "From a Free Democratic Syria towards the Democratic Autonomous Administration of Rojava" with the attendance of 2,000 members, audiences and guests.
Perhaps the most important feature of the fifth conference was the joint presidency system with the election of Asiya Abdullah and Salih Muslim as joint presidents, and the forming institutions, communes and councils.
The Sixth Conference focused on the Unity of the Kurdish and Syrian Ranks
On September 20, 2015, unprecedented crowds attended the sixth conference of the PYD in the town of Rumailan in Jazira Canton, with the attendance of 70 leading figures from political parties and forces, most notably Mala Bakhtiar, the prominent leader in the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, in addition to the attendance of delegations from France, Denmark, Norway, Tunisia, Egypt, Sudan, and delegations from Kurdish parties in Rojava and Syrian opposition forces.
The conference adopted a number of decisions regarding the unity of the Syrian ranks, as well as communicating with all Kurdish parties in Syria and other parts to reducing migration from Kurdistan, which poses a threat to the components of Mesopotamia in general and to the Kurdish people in particular, as most of the conference participants believe that this migration is a systematic act by some parties that were unable to change the demographics through violence, so they resorted to this method to implement their plans.
Finally, the conference participants elected Asia Abdullah and Saleh Muslim for the joint presidency for a second term by a majority of the conference participants. Thirty-seven members were also elected to the party council, with 16 women successfully participating in the council, with women’s representation reaching 43%.
Fundamentally,the Seventh Conference focused on the Federalization of Syria
On September 27-28, 2017, the party’s seventh conference was held in Jazira Canton with the participation of 450 party members from all party organizations inside and outside the country.
The conference participants elected Aisha Hassou and Shahoz Hassan for the joint presidency, and 49 members were elected to the party council, including 20 women.
While the eighth conference of the PYD focused on the priority of liberating the occupied Syrian regions, it was held under the slogan "With democratic union we defeat the occupation, develop Autonomous Administration and build a democratic Syria" on February 24, 2020, with the participation of 650 members in the city of Rumailan, where Aisha Hasso and Anwar Muslim were elected as Co-Chairs along with 90 members of the General Council and 7 members for the Disciplinary Committee.
The most important outcomes of the conference:
- Working to hold a conference in the name of the Socialist International on Afrin, Serekaniye and Gire Spi.
- Resolving the Kurdish issue in Syria.
- Opening new academies and focusing on training members and intensifying cooperation to confront the hostile world.
- Taking all diplomatic and political means and all legitimate cases to liberate the occupied regions, working within the framework of the Syrian Democratic Council to hold a general national conference in Syria.
The ninth conference of the PYD was held in the city of Hasaka on June 18, 2022 focused on self-protection
The ninth conference of the party , and lasted for three days, with the participation of 700 members.
Asya Abdullah and Salih Muslim were elected as co-chairs, along with 149 members of the General Council and a disciplinary committee of 7 members, and all party members were considered members of the essential community protection and members of the communes, in addition to opposing all authoritarian concepts, developing the control mechanism as well, and participating effectively in the historic campaign under the slogan "Physical Freedom for Leader Abdullah Ocalan and the Political Solution to the Kurdish Issue".
This month of September, specifically on the 21th, will witness the 10th General Conference of the PYD following a series of conferences in Rojava and Europe for the General Conference.
T/Satt- a.k
ANHA
