THE EXAMPLE OF ROJAVA FOR THE FUTURE OF DEMOCRACY IN SYRIA
The Permanent Peoples’ Tribunal ruling on Rojava vs. Turkey
June 18, 2025, 11:30 a.m.
Sala dell’Istituto di Santa Maria in Aquiro. Piazza Capranica, 72 – Rome
Streaming: https://www.youtube.com/@senatorepubblica
Institutional greetings
Tino Magni
Introduction
Gianni Tognoni
Speakers
Giacinto Bisogni, Domenico Gallo, Khaled Issa,
Ezio Menzione, Yilmaz Orkan, Barbara Spinelli
Moderator
Marina Forti
In collaboration with
Permanent Peoples’ Tribunal, Giuristi Democratici, European Association of Lawyers for Democracy and Human Rights, Kurdistan Information Office in Italy, and Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria
In February, the Tribunal convened in Brussels for its 54th session, ‘Rojava vs. Turkey’, at the request of a coalition of organisations representing the peoples of the autonomous Kurdish region of Rojava. This coalition included the Department of Foreign Affairs of the Democratic Autonomous Administration of North-East Syria (DAANES). The session aimed to examine the alleged crimes of aggression, war crimes and crimes against humanity committed by senior Turkish officials in Rojava, northeastern Syria, from 2018 to the present day. The complexity of the Rojava case was perfectly suited to the nature and functions of the Tribunal, which guaranteed the Kurds of Rojava the right to speak, as they were unable to resort to national or international judicial mechanisms. At the presentation event on 18 June in Rome, representatives and experts from the PPT and the social organisations involved will review the main stages of the session, the testimonies and the factors that contributed to determining Turkey’s responsibility for serious human rights violations against the Kurdish population. The Rojava autonomy project will also be discussed at this delicate stage of transition towards democracy.
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The opinions and content expressed within the initiative are the sole responsibility of the proponents and speakers, and are not attributable to the Senate of the Republic or any of its bodies. Access to the hall is permitted only to those wearing appropriate attire. Men are required to wear a jacket and tie. The hall will remain open until maximum capacity is reached. Journalists and guests must register by 17 June 2025 by emailing segreteriapresidenzamisto@senato.it.
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The speakers:
Giacinto Bisogni, magistrate, former president of the Court of Cassation, is a judge at the Permanent Peoples’ Tribunal
Marina Forti, journalist and writer, collaborates with Internazionale.it, Altreconomia and other publications, and is the director of the Lelio and Lisli Basso Foundation School of Journalism.
Domenico Gallo, magistrate, former president of the Court of Cassation, is a judge at the Permanent Peoples’ Tribunal.
Khaled Issa, special envoy of the Autonomous Democratic Administration of North-East Syria.
Tino Magni, Italian politician and trade unionist, senator of the Italian Republic.
Ezio Menzione, lawyer, was appointed International Observer for the Italian Union of Criminal Chambers and as such has attended numerous trials, particularly in Turkey and Turkish Kurdistan.
Yilmaz Orkan, head of the Kurdistan Information Office in Italy.
Barbara Spinelli, lawyer, co-president of the European Lawyers Association for Democracy and Human Rights (ELDH), member of the Study Committee on Human Rights of the Ordine degli Avvocati of Bologna, and of the Human Rights Commission of the National Bar Council.
Gianni Tognoni, Secretary General of the Permanent Peoples’ Tribunal from 1979 to the present.
The organizations:
Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria. It is a form of self-government that originated from the well-known Rojava revolution. Its founding charter is based on the full recognition of formal equality between citizens and ethnic groups, democratic and participatory management of governmental autonomy, and the application of the principle of non-discrimination, including the recognition of gender equality through the full and shared participation of women in political and public office.
ELDH – European Lawyers Association for Democracy and Human Rights. It is a progressive non-profit organization that brings together lawyers from 23 countries of the Council of Europe committed to the defense of human rights, civil liberties, democracy, peace, the right of peoples to self-determination, and the prosecution of war criminals and those responsible for human rights violations in different parts of the world.
Giuristi Democratici. It is part of the ELDH and the International Association of Lawyers for Human Rights. It promotes a concrete commitment by all legal practitioners to defend and implement the principles of the republican, democratic, secular, and anti-fascist Constitution, progressive demands for the application of the Convention on Human Rights, criminal guarantees, and the creation of a truly democratic European Constitution.
Permanent Peoples’ Tribunal. An international tribunal of opinion with jurisdiction to rule on any serious crime committed against peoples and minorities. It was established in Bologna in 1979 in the context of the Universal Declaration of the Rights of Peoples (1976). It is based in Rome and is one of the projects of the Lelio and Lisli Basso Foundation Onlus.
UIKI Onlus – Kurdistan Information Office in Italy. A non-profit organization of social utility, founded in 1999 to provide information and receive support from the Italian public. The UIKI is mainly concerned with providing information on the Kurdish matters, both in Kurdistan and in Europe, and on the repression and discrimination against the Kurdish people.