A sign at the Justice Palace in Hasakah province has been torn down at least three times by young Kurdish protesters. Hasakah was run by the Syrian Democratic Forces, the Kurdish-led force that was backed by the IDF. Since February, Hasakah has been transitioning to Damascus's rule.
The SDF is supposed to integrate into the new Syrian security forces. However, many questions remain about how the Kurdish minority will feel under the new arrangement.
A key issue is language. Kurdish is supposed to be a national language in Syria, according to a government decree in January. However, a national language and an official language on state signs are two different things. Kurdish had appeared alongside Arabic on the sign. Now, a new sign has only large Arabic letters, with smaller English letters. Protesters in Hasakah and in Qamishli object to the removal of Kurdish from official signs on government buildings.
The Kurdish protesters clearly want the old sign back. Damascus has not been willing to budge. In fact, Syrian state media notes that Syria’s Justice Ministry, last week, said that it would “pursue those involved in unrest and vandalism targeting the Justice Palace in Hasakah province, adding that legal measures were being coordinated with relevant authorities to bring those responsible before the judiciary.”
The justice ministry insists that the protesters are vandalizing the sign and has labeled them “saboteurs” who threaten public order and social stability.
“The ministry said the Syrian government had continued efforts since the fall of the deposed regime to restore state institutions across different regions, reactivate public services, and strengthen the rule of law and judicial institutions,” SANA noted.
“It added that authorities had intensified efforts in Hasakah province to restore official institutions and integrate them into state structures, noting that the Justice Ministry had worked to maintain judicial and legal services for residents in the province.”
Justice Ministry delegation takes control of courthouse, prison
The report also notes that “a Justice Ministry delegation headed by Syrian Attorney General Hassan al-Turba assumed control of the courthouse in Hasakah and the central prison in the Ghwayran neighborhood on April 19 as part of efforts to establish a legal office affiliated with the Public Prosecution Department to oversee detainees’ affairs.”
Hawar, a Kurdish news agency, notes that “the Syrian Interim Government removed the sign for the courthouse in Hasakah, which was written in both Kurdish and Arabic, and replaced it with a new sign that included only Arabic and English. This sparked public outrage among residents.”
The report adds that “this is not the first such incident. A few days ago, similar actions were taken in Kobani, which also drew widespread public condemnation, prompting authorities to rewrite the signage in both Kurdish and Arabic.”
The clashes in Hasakah have so far remained small. However, some Arabs are angered by what they see as Kurds attempting to attack the new government. As such, this could lead to wider tensions. The government has attempted to integrate the SDF and Kurds into the new administration.
Sipan Hemo, a key SDF leader, has been made a deputy defense minister for eastern Syria. He is helping to integrate several brigades of SDF fighters into the new forces. There are other Kurdish appointments in Hasakah as well.
Some argue that it’s better to see fighting over a sign than to see real fighting, as happened back in January. However, the question is whether the government can resolve this.
Language is symbolic. Kurds don’t want to see rights they worked hard to win over the last decade and a half eroded. They fought ISIS and established institutions at great cost. Many Kurds had been stateless under the Assad regime. Now they are able to apply for citizenship. It is still an uphill struggle for many of them.