A dispute over the removal of Kurdish-language signage from the courthouse in Hasakah has become a symbol of wider tensions in efforts to integrate institutions in northeast Syria with those of Syria’s interim government, according to remarks by Syrian Democratic Forces Commander Mazloum Abdi and reports carried by Kurdish media. The issue has drawn public protests in Hasakah, where residents demanded the restoration of Kurdish on official signs and called for a resolution to the stalled judicial file across the province.
According to Hawar News Agency (ANHA) and Numedya24, Abdi said the disagreement emerged about two weeks ago and exposed the lack of a clear mechanism for integrating judges working under the Autonomous Administration into the new government system while preserving their rights and the region’s particular character. He said the reaction of judicial bodies in the area was legitimate because they refused to be ignored, arguing that exclusion itself ran against the logic of integration. Abdi added that several meetings were held in دمشق and northeast Syria in recent days to prevent the dispute from turning into a broader obstacle.
As a result of those talks, Abdi said an understanding was reached with the interim government on integrating judges from the Autonomous Administration and ensuring they are not dismissed from their posts. He added that some judges from the former Baath-era system would also remain in office so that court procedures and citizens’ legal cases can continue without interruption. The judicial process, he said, will move forward through joint work between Autonomous Administration judges and previously serving judges.
Abdi described the judicial file as critical because delays have affected a wide range of public services, including elections, passport transactions, land registry matters and other procedures requiring legal documentation. He said both sides have agreed to accelerate the reopening of courthouses and judicial centers, while lists of Autonomous Administration judges have already been submitted for registration in judicial training courses and future court assignments.
On the language issue, Abdi said the two sides agreed that bilingual Arabic-Kurdish signs would be used in predominantly Kurdish cities such as Kobani, Qamishli, Derik, Amuda and Dirbesiye. He said the current sign in Hasakah would remain temporarily and that the broader dispute over the courthouse’s language and name would be revisited in a later phase, with Damascus representatives promising a solution. ANHA also reported, citing sources familiar with education meetings, that the two sides have agreed in principle to recognize diplomas issued by the Autonomous Administration, with a formal announcement expected after final government signatures.