📚 UN voices concern over Kurdish language removal from Afrin schools

QAMISHLI, syria/" class="auto-internal-link">syria (North Press) – The United Nations expressed concern over reports that the Kurdish language has been removed from the school curriculum in Afrin, northwest Syria, a Kurdish region under the control of Turkish-backed armed groups since 2018. During a press briefing on Oct. 21, Farhan Haq, Deputy representative for UN Secretary-General António Guterres, stated that the UN is aware of the media reports regarding the decision but has not yet been able to independently verify them. “We cannot confirm those reports, although we’re aware of the media reports on this,” Haq informed Rudaw. “What I can tell you is that the Secretary General strongly believes in the right of people everywhere in the world to speak the languages that they choose to speak and to learn all the different languages of those areas. ”   “We want to make sure that the basic language rights of people are protected,” he added.

Moreover, multiple local and regional media outlets have declared that syrian/" class="auto-internal-link">syrian transitional authorities in Afrin have recently removed Kurdish language classes from schools, raising fears among people and relocated Afrin families that the move represents another step toward erasing Kurdish cultural identity in the region. Afrin, historically a Kurdish-majority region, was captured by Turkish troops and affiliated Syrian factions in March 2018 following “Operation Olive Branch. ” Since then, tens of thousands of Kurdish people have been relocated to camps and cities in eastern Euphrates, a region run by the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria. Rights groups, including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, have documented widespread violations in Afrin committed by Turkish-backed armed factions, known as the Syrian national Army, such as property seizures, forced displacement, and arbitrary detentions targeting the remaining Kurdish population.

The UN’s statement comes amid growing appeals from Kurdish civil society and human rights organizations calling on international actors to pressure Turkey and its allied factions to halt demographic and cultural changes in Afrin. By Jwan Shekaki