Statement on the Presidential Decree’s Omission of Newroz — The National Holiday of the Kurdish People

Yekiti Media

Coinciding with the (elections) to the People’s Assembly conducted by the Transitional Administration in Damascus on Sunday, October 5, 2025, through a mechanism that failed to align with the essence of the desired political transformation and the goals of the transitional process,

And amid the issuance of a constitutional declaration that neither reflects the pluralistic identity of the Syrian people nor acknowledges the distinctiveness of the Kurdish people, and which disregarded repeated calls for its amendment,

On that same day, the Presidency of the Republic issued a decree specifying the official national and religious holidays during which public institutions shall close.

However, this presidential decree ignored Newroz, the national holiday of the Kurdish people — a celebration that decades of authoritarian and oppressive regimes failed to suppress. The Kurdish people have sacrificed countless martyrs in defense of their identity and their right to celebrate this day as a festival of freedom and peace. Newroz represents not only a national and human value but also a historical cultural heritage recognized by the United Nations General Assembly in 2010 as a day symbolizing liberation and as part of the shared human heritage of many peoples.

The decree also ignored Akitu, the Festival of Fertility and Renewal celebrated by the Syriac-Assyrian people, as well as the religious festival of the Yazidi community, all of which express the rich cultural and civilizational diversity of Syria.

The exclusion of Newroz and other national celebrations is inconsistent with the aspirations of Syrians who have made tremendous sacrifices in pursuit of the freedom and democracy they seek.

We therefore call for a reconsideration of this decree and for the inclusion of the holidays of all Syrian components, as an expression of their identity, heritage, and national belonging.

October 6, 2025

General Secretariat of the Kurdish National Council in Syria