Imagining the Commune Democratic confederalist approaches to law and conflict resolution Author: Miran Kakaee Supervisor: Max Lyles Examiner: Merima Bruncevic Master Thesis, 30 credits Master of Laws Programme, LL.M. Department of Law University of Gothenburg, School of Business, Economics and Law 2 “If I don’t burn if you don’t burn if we don’t burn how will the light vanquish the darkness?” - Nazım Hikmet, 1930. 3 Table of contents Abstract .............................................................................................................................................................................................. 6 Preface ................................................................................................................................................................................................ 7 Pêşgotin ............................................................................................................................................................................................. 8 9 ................................................................................................................................................................................................... ﯽﮐﮫﺷﭘ 10 ................................................................................................................................................................................................... ﺔﻣدﻘﻣ List of abbreviations .................................................................................................................................................................... 11 1. Introduction ............................................................................................................................................................................... 12 1.1 Background .......................................................................................................................................................................... 12 1.2 Purpose ................................................................................................................................................................................. 14 1.3 Research questions and delimitations .............................................................................................................................. 15 1.4 Methodological reflections ................................................................................................................................................ 15 1.5 Terminology ......................................................................................................................................................................... 17 1.6 Outline................................................................................................................................................................................... 18 2. Theoretical and conceptual framework ............................................................................................................................ 19 2.1 Legal pluralism ..................................................................................................................................................................... 19 2.2 Written law and customary law ......................................................................................................................................... 20 2.3 The juridification of social relations................................................................................................................................. 22 2.4 Technical regulations and the abolishment of legal regulations.................................................................................. 24 2.5 The hurtfulness of law ........................................................................................................................................................ 26 2.6 Concluding thoughts .......................................................................................................................................................... 30 3. Democratic confederalism and law in North and East Syria .................................................................................... 32 3.1 Kürdistan devriminin yolu ................................................................................................................................................. 32 3.2 La commune (des communes) .......................................................................................................................................... 34 3.3 The revolution within a revolution .................................................................................................................................. 36 3.4 The first phase: the council system of North and East Syria ...................................................................................... 38 3.5 The second phase: Democratic Autonomous Administrations (DAAs) .................................................................. 41 3.5.1 Law under the social contract of 2014 ............................................................................................................................. 42 3.6 The third phase: the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES) ........................................ 43 3.6.1 Law under the social contract of 2016 ............................................................................................................................. 44 3.7 Analysis and discussion ...................................................................................................................................................... 44 4 4. The justice system of North and East Syria .................................................................................................................... 49 4.1 A dual system ....................................................................................................................................................................... 49 4.2 Reconciliation committees ................................................................................................................................................. 50 4.2.1 Structure and organization .............................................................................................................................................. 50 4.2.2 Procedure ......................................................................................................................................................................... 52 4.2.3 The case of the el-Berkhan and el-Tay tribes .................................................................................................................... 54 4.2.4 Some numbers ................................................................................................................................................................. 56 4.2.5 Analysis and discussion ................................................................................................................................................... 58 4.3 Court system ........................................................................................................................................................................ 62 4.3.1 Structure and organization .............................................................................................................................................. 62 4.3.2 Procedure ......................................................................................................................................................................... 64 4.3.3 Analysis and discussion ................................................................................................................................................... 66 5. Final reflections and further research................................................................................................................................ 71 List of references........................................................................................................................................................................... 74 Legislation ................................................................................................................................................................................... 74 Books ........................................................................................................................................................................................... 74 Book chapters ............................................................................................................................................................................. 76 Journal articles ............................................................................................................................................................................ 77 Newspaper articles ..................................................................................................................................................................... 79 Online resources ........................................................................................................................................................................ 83 Interviews ...................................................................................................................................................................................