Steps of the freedom march in the July 19 Revolution

The history of peoples in general witnesses an essential steps and stations that leave their mark on the political, military, cultural, and economic spheres, as they influence and resonate at the internal and external levels. It started from the city of Kobani in Rojava twelve years ago now, specifically on July 19, 2012, a similar stage, where the wave that began with the leadership of the Kurds later developed into a system of self-administration that includes all components, cultures, religions, and beliefs in the region. The starting point of the revolution has a very special character, especially since Kobani is known in the history of the Kurdish people and other peoples as the land of their ancestors.

The name Kobani made its debut in history in 1979. On July 2 of that year, leader Abdullah Ocalan visited Kobani, which marked the beginning of the contemporary struggle for freedom. The march, which originated from the village of Albloor, spread across all parts of Kurdistan and the Middle East.

The people of Kobani, along with those in Rojava, NE, Syria, underwent training and organization based on this approach, reaching a level of awareness about a life of freedom.

The uprising that started in protest after the Qamishlo massacre on March 12, 2004, was a significant turning point. It led to the establishment of the People’s Protection Units and the formation of the largest political party in the region, the Democratic Union Party, in 2003. By 2005, the women's struggle transitioned into institutional work under the name of the Star Union.

The ongoing struggle and resistance in Rojava against policies of genocide, oppression, and denial over many decades entered a new phase with the launch of the “Popular Spring” wave in Tunisia in 2010, then in Egypt, then Libya, and its arrival in Syria in 2011.

The people organized themselves in villages and cities under the umbrella of communes, and the Kurdish Language Foundation, which was established in 2007, transferred its activities to the public. The first Kurdish schools were opened on December 26, 2011, and the first Kurdish language primary school was opened in Kobani, which is the Martyr Osman Suleiman Primary School.

The Democratic Society Movement was established as an institutional umbrella in 2011, and then the People’s Council of West Kurdistan (MGRK) was formed, which included 354 people, 40 percent of whom were women.

July 19

The spark of the revolution broke out in Kobani on July 19, 2012, a place of great importance. Initially, the Ba'ath Party building, which promoted racist ideologies, was seized, and it has since transformed into a center for autonomous administration for the people of the region.

Following Kobani, the people of Afrin, Serêkaniyê, Ad-Darbasiyah, Amuda, Derik, Girkê Legê, Tirbespiyê, Qamishlo, Tal Tamr, and Al-Hasakah took over administration themselves. They established people’s councils in the cities and people’s institutions (people’s houses) in the neighborhoods, along with forming working committees affiliated with them.

Syria experienced a collapse, leading to a new regime in Rojava.

The Syrian popular revolution, which began on March 15, 2011, saw intervention from powers like the United States of America, Europe, Russia, China, Turkey, and Iran. This turned the situation into a battleground for interests, resulting in collapse, destruction, and massacres. However, the revolution originating from Kobani had a positive impact on democratic and pro-freedom circles in Kurdistan. It instilled hope in the Middle East and globally, offering an alternative system model and challenging the calculations of dominant powers.

Women who spearheaded the revolution took notable steps in defending their homeland, people, and achievements, leading to the formation of the Women’s Protection Units (YPJ) on April 4, 2013.

Foundations of AANES.

After the liberation of the cities, the administrative system began to take shape. On December 2, 2013, the Legislative Council was formed in Qamishlo, and the social contract was prepared in the same year. The meeting resulted in the identification of three cantons, each with its own council, to form together the Democratic Autonomous Administration (DAA).

On November 12, 2013, the General Constituent Council for the Interim Administration was announced. In December of the same year, the social contract was prepared, and on January 6, 2014, the “AANES' model” and “social contract” were approved in the city of Amuda and “election laws.”

The three languages, Kurdish, Arabic, and Syriac, were designated as official languages, and the percentage of women’s representation in institutions was set at a minimum of 40 percent. Under the social contract, the autonomous administration system is based on the Legislative Council, the Executive Council, and the Supreme Court.

Accordingly, the Interim Legislative Council of the Democratic Autonomous Administration met in the city of Amuda on January 21, 2014, and announced the interim administration of the Jazira canton. Then the Autonomous Administration was announced in Kobani on the 27th of January and in Afrin on the 29th of the same month.

Kobani again and a new page

During the period of determining the pattern of autonomous administration, the enemies of the people intensified their attacks and targeted Kobani, which represents the starting point of the revolution. On 15 September 2014, ISIS mercenaries attacked Kobani from the four sides with the support of the Turkish state, and under the leadership of the People’s Protection Units and the Women’s Protection Units (YPG-YPJ), a historic resistance was waged that resonated throughout the world. The people rose up in the four parts of Kurdistan, and revolutionaries and democrats headed to Kobani from all over the world to liberate it.

The city of Kobani was liberated from ISIS mercenaries on 26 January 2015, after a resistance that lasted 134 days. ISIS was defeated for the first time in Kobani, and 1 November was declared “International Day of Solidarity with Kobani,” and Kobani entered history again with this resistance. The Kurds in the four parts of Kurdistan took a unified position, and the components of NE,Syria, including Kurds, Arabs, Turkmen, and Syriacs, united on the resistance fronts, paving the way for the formation of the Syrian Democratic Forces, and achieving the international revolutionary struggle.

Liberation, protection and order

After the liberation of Kobani, the rest of the regions of the region were liberated from mercenaries one by one, and for this reason the protection forces were strengthened, and on 15 October 2015, the formation of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) was announced as a comprehensive military umbrella that includes under its banner all the components, and it was also strengthened and organized. The Internal Security Forces in the cities, the Syrian Democratic Forces and the Women’s Protection Units liberated Girê Spi in 2015, Manbij in 2016, and Tabqa and Raqqa in 2017, and people’s councils and women’s institutions were formed in the liberated areas.

Occupation attacks

The occupying forces responded to the expansion of the autonomous administration system and its influence with a direct attack on the region. On January 20, 2018, the Turkish occupation state and its mercenary groups attacked Afrin. The Afrinians fought a historic resistance that lasted 58 days, after which Afrin was occupied by occupation's hands on March 18. From the same year, on October 9, 2019, specifically on the anniversary of the international conspiracy against the leader Abdullah Ocalan, the Turkish occupation state began its attack, this time on Serêkaniyê and Girê Spî.

Opening of the first representative office of the Autonomous Administration

The military victories and the democratic nation system influenced diplomatic developments, and this system resonated abroad. This resulted in the opening of the first representation of the autonomous administration in Sulaymaniyah in 2015, followed by the opening of representations in Australia, France, Germany, Russia, Austria, France, and Germany. , Russia, and in Belgium on behalf of the Benelux countries (Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg) and in Sweden on behalf of the Scandinavian countries (Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Norway, Iceland), and opening management offices in Lebanon and the Emirates.

In 2017, with the aim of harmonizing all regions and implementing the autonomous administration system, the federation of northern Syria was declared. In this context, the administrative divisions in the autonomous administration were defined as three regions (al-Jazira, the Euphrates, and Afrin) and 6 provinces (Qamishlo and al-Hasakah, which belong to the al-Jazira region, and Girê Spi and Kobani, which belong to the Euphrates, Afrin, and al-Shahba regions of the Afrin region), while Manbij, Raqqa, and Tabqa were designated civil administrations. With the geographical expansion, the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria was declared on September 6, 2018.

In 2017, the first municipal elections were held in a democratic manner.

 On March 23, 2019, the city of Deir ez-Zor was completely cleared of ISIS mercenaries, and ISIS was defeated throughout the entire territory of northern and eastern Syria.

This victory had a major impact on the political recognition of the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria, as the Parliament of the autonomous Catalonia region of Spain officially recognized the Autonomous Administration on the anniversary of the liberation of the city of Raqqa (October 20, 2021).

Raqqa and the final form of administration

With the expansion of the system, the social, political, economic, and educational aspects also witnessed modernization and were subject to several amendments. On December 12, 2023, the social contract was redrafted and approved. According to the new social contract, which consists of 4 chapters and 134 articles, the administration system was amended. The official name of the region was changed to the Democratic Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria, and the system of regions was abolished. The district system was re-adopted. Thus, the region is administratively divided into 7 cantons: Afrin, al-Jazira, Euphrates, Manbij, Raqqa, Tabqa, Deir ez-Zor, Afrin, and al-Shahba.

 “Under the Social Contract, the Municipal Union Law, the High Elections Commission Law and the Administrative Divisions Law (2024) were issued.

After the issuance of these laws, it was decided to hold the municipal elections on June 11, and preparations for them began. However, they were postponed at the request of the parties and formations running them in order to complete the preparations.

In the 13th year of the revolution, the Autonomous Administration system has entered the agenda of the region and the world. On the one hand, the Turkish state in particular is planning to eliminate the autonomous administration system, and on the other hand, the Autonomous Administration is taking important steps and making great efforts at the diplomatic level in order to have its political entity recognized.”

T/ Satt.

ANHA