All States demand a monopoly on violence- the new HTS ‘Al Qaeda’ regime is busy massacring minorities despite claims they might share power- But removing Turkey’s SNA colonizers looting Afrin would be an immense relief
QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – A senior official in the Syrian Ministry of Defense confirmed on Wednesday the ongoing withdrawal and downsizing of armed factions from Syria’s Kurdish city of Afrin.
The process signals preliminary steps toward implementing a recent agreement between the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES) and Syrian transitional government.
According to the official—speaking to Agence France-Presse (AFP) on condition of anonymity—the Turkish-backed Syrian armed factions have reduced the number of checkpoints and vacated several positions within the city of Afrin in northwestern Syria.
He described the remaining factional presence in Afrin as “temporary,” noting that plans are underway to relocate these forces to military sites previously targeted by Israeli airstrikes.
This move is part of a broader restructuring initiative by the Syrian government, which includes the formal dissolution of several armed factions, including units affiliated with the Turkish-backed Syrian National Army, and their integration into the Ministry of Defense.
A Kurdish source familiar with the ongoing negotiations revealed that the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) are insisting that any security forces deployed in Afrin consist of personnel native to the region.
“The integration of revolutionary political forces into the Western-backed state in Syria, and the dismantling of revolutionary military forces in Qandil and Bakur is totally irreconcilable and antagonistic to the furtherance of the internationalist movement.
When we – anarchist and communist revolutionaries – embark on the path of struggle we expect to exist, grow and die in a life of contradiction and tension, but we also intend for the path we are on to steadily maintain the positions that we’ve historically defined as unequivocal.
In essence, some things are negotiable, some deviations are forgivable, and some can be treacherous. The recent positions and actions by the PKK, in several of its components, are not only inconsistent with revolutionary struggle, but have deviated so far from the established principles of proletarian and internationalist struggle that the project has now veered into an essentially revisionist, collaborationist posture.
This is particularly alarming as the internationalist movement exceedingly needs heightened, resolute and honorable positions as the challenges facing us are grave and growing.
We are writing from an anarchist communist position that is far from monolithic in our locale, or in general, but we have also been at the forefront of solidarity efforts with the PKK since the formation of the International Freedom Battalion, the HBDH, and the establishment of the anarchist guerrilla faction, the IRPGF.
We have been increasingly alarmed at ongoing developments and the most recent political realities need to be addressed. We are not writing this with any elation and are not laying out this statement from a dogmatic, idealist stance.
In actuality, we maintained principled silence on a whole host of revisionist deviations, and would have continued out of respect for the complex and dynamic position the combatants find themselves in at the forefront in the conflict zones in West Asia.
However, recent developments have pushed us to publicly critique the organization in spite of our admiration for their historical accomplishments.
In the earlier phases of the struggle in Rojava, the US and the YPG both stated their collaboration was “temporary, transactional and tactical”; in essence, not a strategic partnership but a brief association to combat ISIS. This stated position is now, approximately, 8 years old and has turned into unarguably a comprehensive strategic partnership.
The reality is even more stark in light of the larger situation in West Asia today. The Palestinian Revolution, ignited by the monumental October 7th operation, followed by remarkable acts of solidarity performed in northern occupied Palestine and the Red Sea, set a new stage in contemporary struggle against colonialism and imperialism, but is also an illustrative example of resistance for the entire internationalist movement.
The war against the Zionist settler regime, and in effect the US-led imperialist world system, is at an elevated state, and due to the genocidal nature of the imperialist forces, the planned ethnic cleansing of Palestinians, and the potential of success for the Resistance in Gaza, the liberation of Palestine must have a central role.
To be clear, this is not to contrast the Kurdish movement with the Palestinian movement, but to highlight a fundamental contradiction that has reached its peak.
The Zionist regime, being a settler appendage of US power projection, has embarked on a genocidal campaign, and the eradication of the Zionist state will put unprecedented pressure on American imperialism, particularly as the US is a wounded animal that has been in decline for some time due to its intensifying excesses.
In this context, the PKK partnership with the American regime is particularly inconceivable – as a crucial war for liberation against colonialism rages on in the region.
The opportunism in this collusion is evident but there are also three other crucial points that we feel must be addressed to clarify the true scope of the morass….
Imminent risk of execution in Iran for Pakhshan Azizi, accused simply of being a member of the Kurdish feminist party PJAK (Party for a Free Life in Kurdistan).
Fellow prisoners of Kurdish feminist Pakhshan Azizi, sentenced to death in Iran, demand justice for her
Seven inmates of Iran’s Evin prison have written a letter in defense of Kurdish women’s rights activist Pakhshan Azizi, who has been sentenced to death in Iran, highlighting the illegality and injustice of Azizi’s sentence..
Pakhshan Azizi is accused of being a member of the Kurdish feminist party PJAK (Party for a Free Life in Kurdistan).
The social worker described being arrested in August, albeit in Tehran by agents of the Ministry of Intelligence. The regime also detained several members of her family.
While they were released after several days of interrogation, Azizi was sent to room 209 of Evin Prison.
According to KHRN, she was severely tortured both physically and psychologically. Azizi, from Mahabad, worked as a journalist when she was free.
She studied social work at Allameh Tabatabai University in Tehran, where she was first arrested in November 2009.
She was accused of participating in student protests against the execution of Kurdish political prisoners. She was released on bail in March 2010.
Imminent risc d’execució a Iran per Pakhshan Azizi, acusada simplement de ser membre del partit feminista kurd PJAK (Partit per una Vida Lliure al Kurdistan).
Les companyes de presó de la feminista kurda Pakhshan Azizi, condemnada a mort a l’Iran, demanen justícia per a ella
Set recluses de la presó d’Evin de l’Iran han escrit una carta en defensa de l’activista kurda pels drets de les dones Pakhshan Azizi, que ha estat condemnada a mort a l’Iran, destacant la il·legalitat i la injustícia de la sentència d’Azizi..
Pakhshan Azizi està acusada de ser membre del partit feminista kurd PJAK (Partit per una Vida Lliure al Kurdistan).
La treballadora social qualificadava ser detinguda a l’agost, tot i que a Teheran per agents del Ministeri d’Intel·ligència. El règim també va detenir diversos membres de la seva família.
Mentre van ser alliberats després de diversos dies d’interrogatori, Azizi va ser enviada a la sala 209 de la presó d’Evin.
Seguros KHRN, va ser severament torturada tant físicament com psicològicament. Azizi, de Mahabad, va treballar com a periodista quan era lliure..
Va estudiar treball social a la Universitat Allameh Tabatabai de Teheran, on va ser detinguda per primera vegada el novembre de 2009.
Va ser acusada de participar en protestes estudiantils contra l’execució de presos polítics kurds. Va ser posada en llibertat sota fiança el març del 2010.
This May Day, gather in defiance of tyranny and oppression. Gather to create communities based in solidarity and mutual aid.
Gather with everyone who wants a better life. Gather to honor those who fought before us. Gather to show that another world is possible.
We’ve prepared a poster design to support you in organizing and promoting events in your community, along with a list of suggestions about what you could organize.
These top Washington think tanks are lobbying lawmakers for sadistic sanctions on some of the hemisphere’s poorest countries while raking in millions from corporations and arms makers.
Thousands of people in the UK have been detained and questioned by police over online posts deemed threatening or offensive, The Times has reported, citing custody data.
According to figures published on Friday, officers make around 12,000 arrests annually under Section 127 of the Communications Act 2003 and Section 1 of the Malicious Communications Act 1988. These laws criminalize causing distress by sending messages that are “grossly offensive,” or by sharing content of an “indecent, obscene or menacing character” via electronic communications
networks.
In 2023 alone, officers from 37 police forces made 12,183 arrests – around 33 per day. The Times said this marks a 58% increase from 2019, when 7,734 arrests were recorded.
At the same time, government data shows that convictions and sentencings have dropped by nearly a half. While some cases were resolved through out-of-court settlements, the most commonly cited reason was “evidential difficulties,” particularly when victims declined to proceed.
The statistics have sparked public outcry, with civil liberties groups accusing the authorities of overpolicing the internet and undermining free speech through the use of “vague” communications laws.
The Times highlighted the case of Maxie Allen and Rosalind Levine, who were arrested on January 29 after raising concerns in a private parents’ WhatsApp group about the hiring process of their daughter’s school. Six uniformed officers arrived at their home, detained them in front of their youngest child, and took them to a police station.
Statistics of arrests for posts on social networks in 2022 in Russia and the UK pic.twitter.com/JN6PsdTfJ7
The couple was questioned on suspicion of harassment, malicious communications, and causing a nuisance on school property after the school alleged they had “cast aspersions” about the chair of governors. They were fingerprinted, searched, and locked in a cell for eight hours.
“It was hard to shake off the sense that I was living in a police state,” Allen told the Daily Mail, adding that the messages contained “no offensive language or threat” but were simply a “bit sarcastic.”
About 5,000 turned out in Oakland for the April 5 “Hands Off” protest. Here is a short video and some of the photos I took. The posters people made up give a […]
The Free 