On 8 December 2024, with the collapse of the Ba'ath regime, a door of hope opened for the people of Syria, especially for women. However, the rise to power of Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) did not change the oppressive order in the country. On the contrary, the administration of HTS put people under pressure and subjected them to massacres. In this context, on March 13, 2025, HTS announced a draft constitution that openly rejects the representation of women. Şêra Osê, a member of the Co-Presidency Board of the Syrian Democratic Council (MSD), spoke to our agency regarding the issue.

Şêra Osê emphasized that Syria is going through a delicate phase and began her remarks as follows: "A new map is being drawn in Syria after the collapse of the Ba'ath regime. The people of Syria, especially women, have endured immense suffering. With the fall of the Ba'ath regime, a new sense of hope was born. The Ba'ath regime imposed all forms of repression on women. Women were entirely excluded from society. They were pushed to a point where continuing education beyond sixth grade became impossible. Their participation in life was systematically obstructed.

But after the collapse of the male-dominated state regime, a new sense of hope and empowerment emerged for women. The Rojava Revolution became a breath of life for women, because the male-dominated state system had suffocated them. The truth is, women became the greatest force of the revolution. Through their struggle, women achieved hundreds of gains and stood up to the gangs of the Islamic State, and defeated them. Women became a symbol of success in all areas of society. The women of Northern and Eastern Syria, through their resistance, became an example for women all around the world."

Women are the foundation of freedom and democracy

Şêra Osê criticized the draft constitution bearing the signature of HTS leader Ahmed Al-Sharaa (Al-Jolani), stated: "When we built this revolution in the name of women, we made a vow to resist and to defend women’s rights. As revolutionaries, we have always believed that women must take the lead in society. Women are no longer who they used to be. The women whose rights Al- Jolani is trying to erase are the very pioneers of the Rojava Revolution—also known as the Women’s Revolution—who demand freedom. That is why no one can abolish women’s rights, and this constitution is absolutely unacceptable."

Osê noted that the inclusion of women in all spheres of society has sparked a profound transformation across the Middle East. She emphasized that the hope of women in Northern and Eastern Syria grew even stronger after the collapse of the Ba'ath regime. Osê stated: "This new government, with its radical and religiously extremist mindset, wants to drag women back into the past. But they will never succeed. In the new Syrian constitution, women’s rights must be guaranteed at a minimum rate of fifty percent. The most vital element of this constitution must be the co-presidency system. This government must understand that any constitution that does not include women’s rights cannot govern the Syrian people because women are the foundation of freedom and democracy.

The current draft constitution does not include the voices of women, and therefore it does not represent them. What they want is to once again place women under pressure. But women have been resisting this for decades, and that struggle continues to this day. A constitution that erases women cannot be accepted. Women must take part directly in the writing of the constitution and must write their own laws. Women’s rights in the Syrian Constitution must not remain merely words on paper; we want the building of a society shaped by a women's perspective."

Finally, Osê emphasized that the views of all segments of society in Syria must be taken into account and that the new constitution must be rewritten. She stated: "All women must reject this constitution. Women must stand against this kind of politics and refuse to once again become prisoners of a male-dominated mindset."