- Title: Hundreds of Syrians in Qamishli protest against "one-sided" constitution
- Date: 16th March 2025
- Summary: QAMISHLI, SYRIA (MARCH 16, 2025) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF RESIDENTS OF QAMISHLI PROTESTING AGAINST SYRIA'S NEW CONSTITUTION FRAMEWORK VARIOUS OF WOMEN HOLDING SIGNS IN KURDISH AND ARABIC READING: "THE CONSTITUTIONAL DECLARATION DOES NOT RISE TO THE LEVEL OF THE BLOOD BEING SHED" - "YOUR NEW CONSTITUTION IS A CRIME AGAINST SYRIAN REVOLUTION" OFFICIAL IN SYRIAC UNION PARTY (SUP)
- Embargoed:
- Keywords: Kurds Sharaa Syria constitution minorities
- Location: QAMISHLI, SYRIA
- City: QAMISHLI, SYRIA
- Country: Syria
- Topics: Conflicts/War/Peace,Middle East,Civil Unrest
- Reuters ID: LVA001920916032025RP1
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Hundreds of Syrians, many of them Kurds and Syriacs, protested in Qamishli, north east Syria, on Sunday (March 16) against the newly announced constitution.
During the demonstration, an official in the Syriac Union Party (SUP), Sabah Shabo, said the constitution "does not represent us as the people of the region (northern Syria), especially for us as Syriac people."
Syriac Press reported that the SUP believes the new constitution undermines ethnic pluralism by promoting a singular national identity and maintaining a highly centralized power structure.
It went on to say the party issued a statement reiterating that Syria is inherently multi-ethnic and multi-religious, comprising Arabs, Kurds, Syriacs–Assyrians–Arameans, Christians, Muslims, Yezidis, and others and that the SUP advocated for a secular and inclusive Syrian state that remains neutral toward all religions and ethnicities while preserving the nation’s unity, sovereignty, and independence.
During the protest demonstrators called for a united Syria and described the constitution as a "one-sided".
Syria's new leader Ahmed al-Sharaa, whose fighters led the offensive that toppled the Assad family dynasty in December, has said he will build an inclusive society in a country with a delicate sectarian and religious mix.
He signed on Thursday (March 13) a constitutional declaration drafted by experts, according to which Syria will retain Islamic jurisprudence as the main basis of law and will preserve freedom of opinion and expression.
Sharaa's pledge is being tested by a campaign of killings against Syria's Alawites - the minority sect to which ousted leader Bashar al-Assad belongs - that was triggered by an attack on new government forces by Assad loyalists.
Some Syrians and foreign powers have worried that Sharaa may impose strict Islamic governance or exclude some communities from positions of power in a country with numerous minority groups such as Druze, Kurds, Christians and Alawites.
Critics argue that the new constitution concentrates power in the hands of the interim president and fails to adequately protect the rights of minorities
(Production: Orhan Qereman, Kinda Makieh) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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