01/06/2025
On May 14, the Department of Sociology and Business Law at the University of Bologna hosted a seminar titled Human rights violations in Syria and Kurdistan: The role of diaspora and civil society in advocacy and action. The event was part of the broader dialogue fostered by the Horizon Europe RESONANT Project, which focuses on the interaction between diasporas, memory, and human rights practices in the Euro-Mediterranean space. The seminar brought together academics, activists, and practitioners working on human rights advocacy. Speakers included Giovanna Cavallo from Roma Tre University and co-founder of Yalla Study, Mira Tarab, a Syrian academic and activist, Maysoon Majidi, a Kurdish-Iranian filmmaker and human rights advocate, Parisa Nazari, a translator and activist, and Souhayla Saab, a Syrian writer and human rights defender.
Yalla Study: Promoting Educational Mobility and Human Dignity
Giovanna Cavallo opened the discussion by introducing Yalla Study, a project rooted in the broader campaign “Per cambiare l’ordine delle cose” (To Change the Order of Things), an Italian civil society network advocating for freedom of movement and the right to education. Yalla Study seeks to create pathways for young people – particularly from Palestine, Syria, and Lebanon – who are blocked in war-torn regions and are unable to access university studies due to conflict and border regimes. More than just an academic opportunity, the initiative promotes freedom of choice, dignity, and self-determination, especially for young women and men whose futures are often determined by geopolitics rather than personal ambition. Through advocacy, networking, and support mechanisms, Yalla Study stands as a concrete response to structural barriers affecting educational access in conflict zones.
The Case of Maysoon Majidi: Rights, Resistance, and Criminalization
A particularly relevant moment of the seminar came with the testimony of Maysoon Majidi, a Kurdish-Iranian filmmaker and human rights activist. Her recent personal experience is emblematic of the double vulnerability faced by many who seek refuge and end up criminalized for doing so.
Majidi landed on the Calabrian coast of Italy on December 31, 2023. Upon arrival, she was accused of aiding illegal immigration and treated as a “trafficker”. She was detained for over 300 days in Castrovillari and Reggio Calabria before being acquitted and released on October 22, 2024.
During her imprisonment, Majidi launched a hunger strike – and later a thirst strike – to protest her criminalization and draw attention to the broader injustices embedded in Italian immigration law. In particular, she highlighted flaws in Article 12 of the Italian Consolidated Immigration Act, which does not adequately distinguish between human traffickers and individuals who act in solidarity or self-preservation. A distortion that therefore tends to criminalize even those who act out of self-determination, to save themselves, or out of human solidarity.
Majidi’s experience sheds light on a systemic failure that punishes human resilience, undermines the principle of asylum, and exposes the contradictions of EU border policies.
Rojava and the Media Invisibilization Process: The Role of the Diaspora
Majidi’s reflections also turned to Rojava, the de facto autonomous region in northeast Syria, which has faced escalating humanitarian crises, particularly since November 2024, due to renewed clashes involving Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the Syrian National Army (SNA) backed by Turkey, and forces loyal to the Assad regime.
These conflicts, often unreported in European media, have resulted in massive internal displacement and violence against civilians. Majidi emphasized the critical role of the diaspora in acting both as a historical memory and a voice for those who remain silenced. For her, the Kurdish, Syrian, and Iranian diasporas carry the responsibility to bear witness, advocate, and resist erasure.
Drawing from her own background – having fled Iran in 2019 and lived in Iraqi Kurdistan – Majidi described her engagement with diasporic information networks, and her efforts to keep the Kurdish cause alive through media and political activism. The diaspora, she argued, is not just a consequence of displacement but a space of resistance, enabling alternative narratives to flourish beyond state censorship and geopolitical neglect.
Diasporas as Actors of Memory and Change
The seminar was co-organized by Professor Pierluigi Musarò, scientific coordinator of the RESONANT Project at the University of Bologna, and Micol Meghnagi, PhD candidate in Sociology and Social Research. For the RESONANT consortium, the seminar marked a crucial moment of public engagement: through the experiences of Giovanna Cavallo, Mira Tarab, Maysoon Majidi, Parisa Nazari and Souhayla Saab, the seminar offered an embodied understanding of the intersection between migration, gender, memory, and activism. A relationship that challenges the dominant narratives of victimhood, offering instead complex experiences of agency and resistance.
As Europe continues to grapple with the politics of migration and border control, the role of civil society, transnational advocacy, and diasporic memory is crucial. Recognizing the plural voices of the diaspora, understanding their memory practices, and supporting their efforts for justice is an an ethical and academic imperative.
Written by Chiara Davino (UNIBO)