Syrian Milestones: The View from Afrin and the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria

March 29, 2021 Meditor

Tuesday, April 6, 2021, 10 AM – 11:30 AM ET

Speakers:
Zeinab Ahmed, resident of Afrin, Syria, survivor of two years in detention under the Turkish occupation
David L. Phillips, Director of the Program on Peace-building and Human Rights at Columbia University’s Institute for the Study of Human Rights
Meghan Bodette, Missing Afrin Women Project
Sinam Sherkany Mohamad, US Representative of the Syrian Democratic Council (opening remarks)
Alan Makovsky, Center for American Progress (moderator)

Where are we ten years after the start of the Syrian conflict — and three years after the Turkish invasion and occupation of Afrin, Syria? Seven million refugees and displaced persons, 500,000 deaths, food instability and a health care crisis, and 80 percent of the population living in poverty. A Turkish occupation and a Islamic extremist comeback.

What should the United States do about it? Join us for a timely discussion about the situation in Afrin, the autonomous region, and options for US policy.

Hosted by the US Mission of the Syrian Democratic Council and the Program on Peace-building and Human Rights at Columbia University’s Institute for the Study of Human Rights.

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Speakers:

Sinam Sherkany Mohamad, US Mission of the Syrian Democratic Council
(Introductory Remarks)

Sinam Sherkany Mohamad is currently the head of the US Mission of the Syrian Democratic Council. A Kurdish woman, she was an advocate for women’s rights and democracy in Syria and political figure who helped found the current Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria. She has been interviewed by countless news organizations and published an op-ed in The New York Times. >>more

David L. Phillips, Director of the Program on Peace-building and Human Rights at Columbia University’s Institute for the Study of Human Rights

David L. Phillips is currently Director of the Program on Peace-building and Human Rights at Columbia University’s Institute for the Study of Human Rights. Phillips has worked as a senior adviser to the United Nations Secretariat and as a foreign affairs expert and senior adviser to the U.S. Department of State. >>more

Meghan Bodette, Founder, Missing Afrin Women Project

Meghan Bodette is a researcher and reporter focusing on Kurdish issues, Syria, and Middle East politics. She founded the Missing Afrin Women Project, a data source on kidnappings and disappearances of women and girls in Afrin, Syria since the region came under the control of Turkey and affiliated Syrian armed groups in January 2018. She is a recent graduate of Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service. She is a former editor at The Region, an online news outlet that focused on under-reported stories from the Middle East. >>more

Ms. Zainab Ahmed, survivor from Afrin, Syria

Ms. Ahmed has recently been released from two years of detention, torture, and human rights abuses under the Turkish occupation. A 63-year-old Kurdish woman from the Sherron District of Afrin, she witnessed unspeakable horrors for two years as one of 41 detainees illegally held at Al Rai Prison, a prison administered by Turkish-backed militia members who are paid, equipped, and given authority by the Turkish government. Unlike many other survivors, Ms. Ahmed is bravely coming forward to tell her story to the public.

Alan Makovsky, Center for American Progress — moderator

Alan Makovsky is a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress. He previously worked at the State Department and on the staff of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, where he covered Middle Eastern, Turkish, and Kurdish affairs. >>more