PRESENTATION

The geopolitical upheavals currently unfolding in the Middle East are having a considerable impact on the various regions of Kurdistan.

In Iran, protests against the rising cost of living, which have followed in the wake of the popular mobilizations of the “Woman, Life, Freedom” movement that shook the Islamic Republic, are being repressed with terrible brutality. Paralyzed by fear of an imminent collapse, the Iranian regime is spreading terror among its population, massacring thousands of its own citizens. This repression has been particularly bloody in Iranian Kurdistan, which also risks becoming one of the main theaters of a possible military confrontation with external powers.

Rojava has, since the “deal” concluded between the Turkish and American presidents during their telephone conversation on January 5, been subjected to a general offensive by Islamist militias and the Syrian Arab Army. The Trump administration is striking an understanding with the regime in Damascus, and the Syrian Kurds, who made so many sacrifices in the war against Daesh, are being abandoned to their fate by the 89 member states of the international coalition, with the notable exception of France, which has done what it could to limit the damage.

The ceasefire and the agreement concluded on January 30 between the Kurdish forces, now withdrawn to their Kurdish strongholds, and the regime in Damascus remain extremely fragile in the absence of sufficient international guarantees.

What will become of what remains of Rojava and its military and civil institutions? What will happen to the thousands of Daesh jihadists and their relatives who have until now been held in camps guarded by the Kurdish forces? What risks does this situation pose for regional and European security?

These are among the questions that academics, journalists, and political figures will seek to address during this conference organized by the Kurdish Institute, with the aim of informing public opinion and expressing solidarity with the Kurds caught in the turmoil of Rojhelat and Rojava.

PROGRAMME

1:30 pm – 2:00 pm — Welcoming of Guests

2:00 pm – 2:10 pm — Opening remarks

2:10 pm – 3:00 pm — 1^st Panel

The upheavals in Iran

Moderator: Hamdan MOSTAFAVI, Journalist at Libération

Speakers:

• Mahmoud AMIRY-MOGHADDAM, Iran Human Rights,
  « The toll of repression in Iran »
  
  
• Asso HASSAN ZADEH, Senior Lecturer in Law, Catholic University of Lyon,
  « Kurdish aspirations in Iran »
  
  
• Azadeh KIAN, Emeritus Professor of Sociology, Université Paris Cité,
  « Which perspectives for Iran? »
  
  
• Awyar SHEKHY, Hengaw Human Rights Organisation,
  « Repression in Iranian Kurdistan »
  
  

3:00 pm – 4:30 pm — 2nd Panel

Rojava Amidst Shifting Alliances

Moderator: Nazand BEGIKHANI, Visiting Professor at Sciences Po Paris

Speakers:

• Naif BEZWAN, Visiting Professor at the University of Vienna,
  « Negotiating the Kurdish Quest for Self-rule :  The ‘Peace Process’ in Turkey and its Effects on Rojava »
  
  
• Ronahi HASSAN, Journalist, Former UN Women UK Delegate,
  « Gender inclusive security policy : Rojava’s model»
  
  
• Janroj KELES, Senior Lecturer at Middlesex University,
  « Repercussions in the Kurdish diaspora »
  
  
• Jan Ilhan KIZILHAN, Professor, University of Duhok
  
  
• Michiel LEEZENBERG, Professor at the University of Amsterdam,
  « The Significance of Rojava for the European Left »
  
  

4:30 pm – 6:00 pm — 3rd Panel

What Can France and Europe Do for the Kurds in Syria?

Moderator: Kendal NEZAN, President of the Kurdish Institute of Paris

Speakers:

• Rohelat AFRIN, Commander of the Women’s Protection Unit (YPJ)
  
  
• Ilham AHMED, Co-President of the Department of Foreign Relations of the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES),
  « The Situation in Rojava and Prospects »
  
  
• Rémi FÉRAUD, Senator for Paris
  
  
• Safeen DIZAYEE, Minister of Foreign Relations of the Kurdistan Regional Government
  
  
• François HOLLANDE (guest), Former President of the French Republic

6:00 pm – 6:15 pm — Closing remarks

Hamit BOZARSLAN, Director of Studies at the École des hautes études en sciences sociales (EHESS)