On Saturday, 17 January 2026, the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria issued a formal response to the recent legal changes introduced by the nation’s transitional president. While the administration acknowledged the new measures as a preliminary move, they argued that the decree fails to fully satisfy the hopes of the Syrian people, who have undergone a genuine revolution and made significant sacrifices to secure a democratic state built on equality, justice, and dignity.
According to the Autonomous Administration, fundamental rights cannot be guaranteed through temporary executive orders. Instead, they maintained that such protections must be firmly established within a permanent constitution that embodies the collective will of all citizens and social components. The administration stated that no decree, regardless of its intent, can provide a lasting safeguard for the rights of Syria’s various groups unless it is part of a holistic constitutional framework that recognizes and shields everyone without exception.
Demands for Constitutional Reform
The leadership in northern and eastern Syria emphasized the need for a democratic and pluralistic constitution designed to preserve and uphold the rights of every Syrian community, faith, and component. They described this internal diversity as the true beauty and primary source of strength for Syria.
Provisions of Decree No. 13
Transitional President Ahmed al-Sharaa officially issued Decree No. 13 for 2026 on 16 January. This legislation grants Syrian citizenship to all residents of Kurdish heritage living within the country, specifically including those previously categorized as “unregistered” (maktoumei al-qayd). Furthermore, the decree nullifies all exceptional regulations and laws that were implemented following the 1962 al-Hasakah census in northeastern Syria.
As part of the new legal changes, Nowruz—celebrated by the Kurdish community on 21 March—has been declared a national holiday and characterized as a day of spring and fraternity. The decree explicitly states that Kurdish citizens are an inseparable and fundamental part of the Syrian population, and it recognizes their linguistic and cultural identity as a vital component of a unified and diverse national identity.
Language and Cultural Safeguards
The state has committed to the protection of cultural and linguistic variety under the new decree. It guarantees the right of Kurdish citizens to develop their mother tongue and revitalize their arts and heritage within the framework of national sovereignty. Additionally, Kurdish is now recognized as a national language.
The law permits the teaching of the Kurdish language in both private and public schools in regions where Kurds make up a significant portion of the population. This can be integrated as an educational cultural activity or as part of an optional curriculum. Furthermore, state educational institutions and media are now required to utilize an inclusive national discourse. Any exclusion or discrimination based on ethnic or linguistic grounds is strictly prohibited, with legal punishments set for anyone found inciting ethnic discord.
President al-Sharaa’s Address
Prior to signing the document, President Ahmed al-Sharaa gave a speech that opened with a verse from the Quran: “We have made you peoples and tribes so that you may know one another. Surely the most noble of you in the sight of God is the most righteous.”
In his remarks, al-Sharaa stated, “No Arab, Kurd, Turk, or anyone else has superiority except through piety and the righteousness of a person, whatever their people may be.”
Directly addressing the Kurdish community, he said, “Our Kurdish people, descendants of Saladin, beware of believing that we wish you harm. By God, whoever harms you is our adversary until the Day of Judgment. Your life is our life. We seek nothing but the welfare, unity of the country and its people, development and reconstruction, and that no one deprive another of their share of this good.”
The president concluded by calling on everyone who was forcibly displaced to return home safely, under the sole condition of laying down their weapons. He urged the Kurdish population to take an active role in the construction of the homeland and to remain dedicated to its unity and safety while rejecting all other paths.
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