The Rights Defense Initiative (RDI), in cooperation with the Omran Center for Strategic Studies—one of the Syrian Forum’s programs—held a dialogue seminar in the city of Qamishli to discuss the issue of stateless Syrian Kurds, under the title: “The Rights of Stateless Syrian Kurds: From Decree 93 to Decree 13.”
The seminar witnessed broad participation from human rights advocates, researchers, and civil activists, alongside several individuals directly affected by the consequences of the exceptional census and those deprived of nationality. Participants shed light on the daily suffering and the decades-long repercussions at the social, economic, and educational levels, while emphasizing the demographic nature of the region covered by Decree 93 of 1962 as an area with a Kurdish majority.
Key Themes and Outcomes:
• First Theme (History and Repercussions): This theme addressed the historical background of Legislative Decree No. 93 of 1962 and the exceptional census in Al-Hasakah Governorate, touching upon the affected categories (foreigners and those unregistered “Maktoumeen al-Qayd”) and the firsthand testimonies of those affected by these policies in the Kurdish-majority region, as well as the resulting daily suffering and the far-reaching social, economic, and educational repercussions.
• Second Theme (Challenges of Decree 13 of 2026): This theme discussed the administrative and legal gaps and challenges facing the implementation of Decree 13. Participants stressed the necessity of establishing clear and specific implementation mechanisms to translate the provisions of the decree into practice on the ground, in a manner that ensures comprehensive redress and the restoration of full and undiminished rights to this segment of the Kurdish component.
• Third Theme (Formulation of Recommendations): This theme focused on the retroactive effect of denationalization policies and unaddressed rights, with the aim of developing the key outputs to be drafted in a joint research paper by the ” the Rights Defense Initiative” and the “Omran Center.”
RDI and the Omran Center are preparing to hold an upcoming complementary seminar in the capital, Damascus, which will be dedicated to examining the political, social, cultural, and educational aspects accompanying Decree 13 of 2026, and to working on formulating practical and implementable mechanisms to be shared with relevant stakeholders and decision-makers.