Kurdish Lawyers Founding Own Legal System in Rojava

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The struggle of the people of Rojava (West Kurdistan/Northern Syria) is not merely characterized by its armed resistance against the Syrian army or Al Qaeda-linked rebel groups. It is unique in that Kurdish civilians early in the uprising opened Kurdish language schools and women’s rights organisations, focusing on creating stability in war-ridden Syria but also a foundation for a future, perhaps self-governing Rojava.

Now Dicle News Agency has released a report translated by The Rojava Report about the Rojava Law Committee whose goal is to lay the foundation for a law system that will be true, fair and represent everyone in contrary to the one under the rule of the Syrian regime.

A member, Emina Omer, said the law committee, like other institutions in Rojava, has female lawyers:

Women are in every institution in Rojava. A lot of problems are being solved thanks to agency of women. When they cannot solve it in society, they take it to the courts. (…) At least 40% of all institutions are comprised of women.

Omer said that there are several public courts in Rojava and that not only Kurds, but also Arabs and Christians are making use of them. She mentioned that the Rojava Law Committee has representatives of the people:

We are constantly in touch with other NGOs (…) women’s organizations, institutions of public order, municipalities, and human rights organizations in Rojava. When there are legal problems, we try to solve them.

Another member of the Rojava Law Committee, Ebdulrehim Mihemmed, explained why it was necessary to create a new legal system:

Beforehand, there was a rule of law, one that the Ba’ath regime imposed on us. But we found our own courts, and we have freed ourselves from the dirty law of the regime. During the Ba’ath era, Kurds almost had no legal rights. But right now we have our own legal system and everyone’s a part of it. We are laying the foundation of the new legal system on the lifestyle of our people.