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Syria Recognizes Kurdish Language and Restores Citizenship in Presidential Decree

Kurdish authorities call the move a first step, seeking durable rights through a constitutional settlement.

Overview

  • The order designates Kurdish alongside Arabic as a national language and permits instruction in areas with significant Kurdish populations.
  • It overturns measures from the 1962 Hasakah census and grants citizenship to residents who were rendered stateless.
  • The decree bans ethnic or linguistic discrimination, introduces penalties for incitement, and makes Nowruz a paid national holiday.
  • The announcement followed clashes in Aleppo that killed at least 23 people and displaced more than 150,000, with Kurdish fighters withdrawing from contested pockets.
  • Syrian forces said they established full control over Deir Hafer after the SDF agreed to pull back, while integration talks between Damascus and Kurdish authorities remain largely stalled.