MÛŞ - Kongra Star member Jiyan Hissên stated that the attacks by HTS against the Alawite and Druze communities have once again highlighted the importance of organising for self-defence, adding, "Alawite women also see salvation in the Autonomous Administration system." 

 

Following the overthrow of the Baath regime in Syria on 8 December 2024, the attacks by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which was brought into the interim administration, against Alawites in coastal areas and then against the Druze people once again highlighted the vital importance of self-defence for women. 

 

While abductions, detentions, identity-based executions and massacres increased in HTS-controlled areas, at least one thousand 383 people, including women and children, lost their lives in massacres targeting Alawites, according to data from the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR). 

 

In a statement on 28 July, Amnesty International said it had received reports that at least 36 Alevi women and girls, aged between three and 40, had been abducted and detained by unidentified individuals across the provinces of Latakia, Tartus, Homs and Hama since February 2025. According to the statement, it has been documented that five Alevi women and three Alevi girls under the age of 18 were detained during the day. Amnesty International also received reports from the Syrian Feminist Lobby about 28 additional abductions and detentions. Of these, 14 women and girls were released. However, it was reported that the fate of the remaining individuals and their whereabouts are unknown.

 

A NEW LIFE IN THE AUTONOMOUS ADMINISTRATION 

 

Alevis fleeing the pressure and attacks of HTS have regained many of their rights, particularly security and education, in North and East Syria, where they see a solution. Families settled in cantons under the control of the Autonomous Administration have had their housing and basic needs met, while their children have begun their education in the Autonomous Administration's schools. Jiyan Hissên, a member of the Kongra Star Coordination, shared her thoughts on the importance of self-defence. 

 

‘THE PEOPLE KNOW HTS’

 

Stating that Syria has been in crisis for the last 14 years and that the people approached the process with hope for a solution after the fall of the Baath regime, Jiyan Hissên said: "All the external powers wanted Syria to be divided. The Syrian people knew who the interim government that came to power with the change of regime in Syria was. It was previously Jabhat al-Nusra, then Al-Qaeda, and its final form was HTS. Everyone who knew them was also aware of their past. They said, ‘We will rule Damascus.’ The people knew what could happen with their arrival, and after HTS came to power, they targeted Alawites along the Syrian coast.” 

 

Recalling that Alawites in coastal areas were left facing massacres on the grounds that they were "associated with the regime," Jiyan Hissên said that most citizens in villages and towns were also targeted simply because of their Alawite identity. 

 

Jiyan Hissên said that women were abducted, raped and murdered. She emphasised that there was a great silence in the press and society regarding these massacres, and that this silence emboldened the groups, leading to the same attacks being carried out against the Druze. 

 

"The Druze people were subjected to major attacks in Suwayda. We know this regime. They do not accept different peoples, coexistence, democracy, women or freedom," she said.

 

Jiyan Hissên, speaking on behalf of the women in the Autonomous Administration, stated that they are fighting for all Syrian women. She said that since the beginning of the "Rojava Revolution," they have been focusing on alternatives and a new way of life, and have developed an organisational structure based on self-defence. 

 

THE IMPORTANCE OF SELF-DEFENCE 

 

Jiyan Hissên emphasised that they have once again understood the importance of organising on the basis of self-defence against attacks, saying that as the peoples of North and East Syria, they have established their own system and act according to the needs of the time. 

 

"In this 14-year system, we have gained experience through the struggle and unity of the people. We have made significant progress in terms of people's defence and women's defence units. Within this system, women have achieved many gains," said Jiyan Hissên and added: "The militarisation of women and their coming together on the basis of defence was very important for us. The existence of the YPJ aimed at self-defence rather than a mentality of 'we took up arms and we will fight'. Otherwise, this militarisation would be no different from many other organisations that take up arms and engage in conflict." 

 

Jiyan Hissên pointed out that they based their struggle on self-defence, which means women defending themselves, their children, their neighbourhoods and their communities in their own homes. She said that they aimed to expand their struggle on this basis. Jiyan Hissên stated that Alevis also understood the importance of self-defence on this basis, saying, "Look, when the Druze were subjected to the same attacks, they sought solutions for themselves. Perhaps they did not experience what the Alevi people experienced."

 

Jiyan Hissên said that they aim to further expand the struggle of women who play a leading role in the Autonomous Administration and that they welcome the 25 November International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women with this determination.

 

MA / Ceylan Sahinli