Kurds: Bolder, but still oppressed

A Decade in Power: Syria under Bashar al-Assad’s Rule

As the largest ethnic minority in Syria, Kurds were hoping that in 2000, their political, social and cultural rights would be finally recognised under the new president. But the past ten years proved to be disappointing.

Kurds, who constitute roughly ten per cent of the 22 million population, are still banned from teaching their own language at schools or promoting their culture. An estimated 300,000 Kurds have been deprived of Syrian nationality since 1962 when a population census considered them foreigners. The last decade also witnessed bloody clashes with Kurdish activists and the imprisonment of many Kurdish leaders.

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