International reactions are growing against the attacks on Rojava carried out by ISIS and Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) mercenaries backed by the Turkish state. In Switzerland, a group of Swiss parliamentarians from both right- and left-wing parties issued a joint statement warning that jihadist attacks are targeting the democratic system in Rojava and called on the Swiss government and international powers to take urgent action.
Among the members of the Federal Parliament, Fabian Molina of the Socialist Party and Balthasar Glattli of the Green Party spoke to the ANF.
We have no time to lose
Balthasar Glattli, an MP from the Green Party, said that a group of parliamentarians from across the political spectrum had mobilized in Switzerland to protect Rojava, adding that their main objective was to prompt both Switzerland and the international community to act. Glattli recalled that last December the Swiss Parliament, through a cross-party motion, mandated the Federal Council to take concrete steps to support religious and geographic minorities in Syria.
He said that this decision specifically covered the Kurdish people in Rojava as well as minorities in other parts of Syria, stressing that action must now be taken without delay.
Glattli said, “We cannot wait six months or a year. We must protect not only the Kurdish people, but also Europe, given the risk that ISIS mercenaries could escape from prisons.”
The Rojava model is being targeted
Fabian Molina, an MP from the Socialist Party, said that there was a strong will for solidarity in Switzerland and stressed that the Federal Council was obliged to assume responsibility in line with the mandate given by parliament. Molina said that the release of ISIS members posed a serious risk not only to the region but also to Switzerland’s own security.
Molina said that Rojava represented an important model in terms of democracy, federalism, and gender equality, adding that these values stood in direct opposition to jihadist ideology. He said that this was precisely why the autonomous system in Rojava was being targeted, and underlined that Switzerland, given its commitment to defending democracy and human rights, bore a particular responsibility to stand with Rojava.
Molina also said that international humanitarian law was being violated in Rojava with the support of the Turkish state, stressing that the attacks must be halted immediately and that international powers, foremost the United Nations (UN), must take action to uphold international law.