DAMASCUS, Jan. 2026 (Hatha Al-Youm English)– Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa issued Decree No. (13) for the year 2026, affirming that Syrian Kurds are an essential and indigenous component of the Syrian people, and that their cultural and linguistic identity constitutes an inseparable part of Syria’s diverse and unified national identity.
The decree stipulates the state’s commitment to protecting cultural and linguistic diversity and guaranteeing the right of Kurdish citizens to preserve their heritage and arts, as well as to develop their mother tongue within the framework of national sovereignty.
It recognises the Kurdish language as a national language and allows its teaching in public and private schools in areas where Kurds represent a significant proportion of the population, either as optional curriculum subjects or as educational cultural activities.
The decree also abolishes all laws and exceptional measures resulting from the 1962 census in Hasakah province, granting Syrian nationality to all citizens of Kurdish origin residing in Syria, including those previously registered as “unrecorded,” and ensuring their full equality in rights and duties.
In addition, the decree declares March 21, the Kurdish Newroz festival, a paid official public holiday across Syria, recognising it as a national occasion symbolising spring and fraternity.
It further stresses the obligation of official media and educational institutions to adopt inclusive national discourse, prohibits all forms of discrimination or exclusion based on ethnicity or language, and mandates legal accountability for anyone who incites ethnic division under existing laws.