Syria's Kurds call for a democratic state that protects their ethnic rights

Since the fall of Bashar Assad in early December, Syria’s Kurds have been trying to keep the cultural gains they made in the northeast enclave they carved out during the country’s civil war. A statement issued at the end of the one-day meeting that was attended by groups including the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces, the Democratic Union Party, or PYD, and the Kurdish National Council called for a “fair and comprehensive” solution for the Kurdish cause in a “democratic and decentralized country.” They said that the country’s constitution should “guarantee the national rights of the Kurdish people and abide by international laws for human rights and women’s rights.” The statement said women should actively participate in state institutions in Syria.