[NEW REPORT] RIC's latest report documents the targeting of civilians in NES by Turkey and the SNA in the period after Assad's fall. Rather than isolated incidents, they are part of a pattern of systematic crimes against civilians. Full report: https://t.co/lc1VHmRcbJ

Maya Abdulwahab Khalil, a member of the Asayish, said “[25 November] is an important day for all women. We see our place in this as the Asayish – we are ready for everything in the sense that we protect our homeland in the face of war, and we protect all women.”

Mixed gender meetings were also held prior to the day, with close to 100 people attending in Tel Hamis. On November 25, around one thousand women marched in Qamishlo, with speeches and a play performed by a youth group in Hilala Zerin.

Reem spoke to the attendees of her commune about the conceptual basis of elimination of violence against women, with a focus on psychological impacts of domestic violence, including PTSD and recovery.

Members of Kongra Star and other women’s organizations gave seminars in communes across the region. Xane Gedo told RIC that she “spoke about the history of the day, the assassination of the Mirabal sisters, and the efforts in combatting violence against women across the world”

Women’s organizations in NES held a week of events for the International Day for Elimination of Violence Against Women: 📌Talks for women in communes across NES 📌Multi-day workshops for men in multiple cities 📌Mixed gender ‘peoples meetings’ in six cities 📌Marches & speeches

The booklet published alongside the program was titled “Guardians of Memory”, in which cinema as memory and “dreams still caught between lenses and notebooks” is discussed alongside short biographies of media and arts workers killed in the war. The use of the arts in preservation

The film festival was opened in commemoration of the Amude cinema fire in 1960 which killed over 200 children. Local sources view the fire as either a deliberate act of violence or one of extreme negligence, with doors locked from the inside and attendees double the capacity. The

Olmo Couto said, “this prize is more for the people of Serekaniye, for the resistance and for, principally, these two characters who are in the film - Diya Ebdela and Heval Suriya. They really gave a lot of their love for this film”. Both women attended the first screening at the

Spanish director Olmo Couto won the ‘Juror’s Choice’ prize at the award ceremony of the film festival. He has worked with the Rojava Film Commune for five years. Serekaniye, his latest documentary, follows three women’s lives during Turkey’s 2019 invasion of the city.

The Mesopotamia Movement for Democratic Culture and Art, founded in 2012, and Rojava Film Commune, founded in 2015, co-organized the event. Both organizations work in North and East Syria within the arts and cultural production.

Dozens of foreign films were shown with Kurdish subtitles for the first time, and Kurdish films were translated into English and Arabic. Several directors and a lecturer were unable to attend, including from Iran and Egypt respectively, due to border restrictions.

The fifth Rojava International Film Festival showed 86 films across 7 days in Qamishlo, including documentaries and shorts. Around 2000 people attended the event, which was restarted after a five year pause due to security concerns during the war.

Public institutions, including hospitals, required ID to use. The former Ba'athist government identified and detained wanted individuals - in particular those who evaded conscription during the civil war. Many residents were previously too afraid to attend the hospital.

Dr Jowan Hami spoke to RIC about the November re-opening of the Qamishlo People's Hospital, formerly National Hospital, that has come under DAANES authority since Assad's fall. Significantly, services (with exception to discounted scans) will be free of charge.

Sleeper Cell Report October 2025 – ISIS attacks down this month; repatriations to Iraq continue

Leila Salman, co-chair of the Martyr Hozan Commune in Amuda, said “The commune is the identity of society, and its main purpose is to serve the community [...] communes are where everyone has a role and a place, especially women. I once again invite everyone to join, support, and

Ephraim Sophi, co-chair of the Assyrian Board connected to Qamishlo City Council, said: “The commune is the starting point for any democratic society; society becomes hollowed out without organization. The commune can be likened to the mother in the structure of a democratic

Ahmed al Abousi, deputy co-chair of Qamishlo City Council and commune member, said “The main purpose behind activating the communes was to organize popular participation in decision-making and to ensure a dignified life for all members. Significant progress has been achieved in

Attendees discussed and critiqued critical issues of the commune process, including: 📌Infrastructure allocated to communes 📌The necessity for all people to participate in the commune process, including all levels of the Autonomous Administration 📌Revival of the education

600 people gathered for the Jazira Canton Commune Conference on October 28. Arya Malla Ahmed, co-chair of the People’s Council of Jazira Canton, told RIC that alongside 450 commune co-chairs and members were “representatives of the Justice Council, the People’s Council and the