The 7th Congress of the Free Press Union (Yekitiya Ragihandina Azad - YRA) was held at the Mihemed Şêxo Culture and Arts Center in Qamishlo on Sunday.

Evîn Îbrahîm and Idrîs Henan were elected as the new co-chairs of YRA, and the 23 members of the YRA General Assembly were also selected during the congress, which saw the participation of numerous journalists and press members from across North and East Syria, as well as representatives from the Autonomous Administration, TEV-DEM, YPG, and YPJ Press Centers.

The congress concluded with the reading of the final declaration in Arabic and in Kurdish, which stated the following:

The 7th YRA Congress was held at the Mihemed Şêxo Culture and Arts Center in Qamişlo, with the participation of 150 delegates, guests from the councils and institutions of the Democratic Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria, intellectuals, and representatives of civil society organizations.

Arabic and Kurdish congratulatory messages sent to the congress were read by former co-chairs of the YRA. Ciwan Mela Îbrahîm, co-chair of the Press Office of North and East Syria, then spoke on behalf of the Democratic Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria.

In addition, congratulatory messages from friendly institutions and organizations, including the International Federation of Arab Journalists, of which YRA has been a member for over a year, were read out.

Following the speeches and messages, a five-member presidium was elected to oversee the Congress.

Subsequently, YRA's activity report was read in Kurdish and Arabic, reviewed by the delegates, and criticisms were noted.

The congress preparatory committee read the YRA charter to the delegates in Kurdish and Arabic, and the content was evaluated by the participants. Following the proposed amendments, the new charter was approved.

As a result of the elections held at the congress, Evîn Îbrahîm and Idrîs Henan were elected as co-chairs of the YRA, and 23 permanent and 5 alternate members of the YRA General Assembly were determined. The Assembly represents all regions of Syria and North and East Syria. A quota for women in the Assembly was also approved.

The newly appointed General Assembly will elect the Executive Committee at its first meeting.

We are holding our Congress at a time when Syria is undergoing sensitive and major changes. With this Congress, the YRA aims to fulfill its national and social role based on its responsibility to represent the entire Syrian people, and to expand its activities and initiatives. The YRA will pursue these goals in the footsteps of its martyrs.

On this occasion, we commemorate Seyid Evran and Aziz Köylüoğlu, symbols of the Free Press; Cihan Bilgin, Nazım Daştan, and Egîd Roj, martyrs of the Tishrin Dam Resistance; and all the martyrs of the Free Press. We reaffirm our commitment to continuing their cause."