Workshop in Qamishlo examines legacy of denationalization

The Hasakah Statelessness Victims Network, in cooperation with the Regional Network on Statelessness in the Middle East and North Africa, “My Identity,” the human rights initiative “Defaa,” and the T’Azur Association for Victims, organized a workshop today at Al-Burj Restaurant in Qamishlo to discuss the legacy of the exceptional census conducted in Hasakah Governorate in 1962.

The workshop addressed several key issues, including truth and recognition, the implementation of Article 4 of Decree No. 13 of 2026 and the challenges associated with it, as well as reparations, preserving collective memory, and guarantees of non-recurrence.

During the first session, which focused on the census and transitional justice, journalist and member of the Statelessness Victims Network Aven Yusuf said the workshop aimed to bring renewed attention to the issue of decades-long denial, document the suffering of people who were stripped of their legal identity and the extent of the legal and social harm they suffered, and make the documentation available to victims for use as evidence in the transitional justice process.

Yusuf explained that the census was conducted in 1962 over the course of a single day under the supervision of the Ministry of Interior and required residents to provide documents proving their previous residency. Those who were able to register were entered into the official records, while those who could not were classified as maktoumeen al-qayd (unregistered), resulting in restrictions on travel and movement as well as difficulties in registering property.

During the second session, activist and journalist Abdul Halim Suleiman discussed challenges related to Decree No. 13, noting that a large number of unregistered individuals had left the country and that the registration period was insufficient, particularly for those living outside Syria. He also pointed out that implementation was limited to those inside the country.

He further highlighted challenges in the classification process, explaining that some affected individuals were classified as “Syrian Arabs” based on officials’ assessments, further complicating efforts to address the issue.

Several participants shared their personal experiences and decades-long suffering, calling for official recognition of the violations they had endured, restoration of their legal identity, reparations, and legal and constitutional safeguards to prevent such violations from recurring.

At the conclusion of the workshop, working groups discussed the needs and aspirations of those affected and issued a series of recommendations. These included investigating and disclosing the motives behind the 1962 exceptional census and publishing accurate statistics on the affected groups, as well as officially recognizing the economic, social, and legal consequences resulting from denationalization and providing compensation and reparations.

The recommendations also called for commemorating the violations, incorporating the issue into Syria’s transitional justice process and educational curricula, establishing platforms to document the case, and introducing constitutional and legal reforms to guarantee equality and non-discrimination, criminalize racism and exceptional measures, and strengthen accountability and community oversight.

ANHA