Afrinpost-Special
The status settlement is a pretext for obtaining money, and is no different from the acts of theft, looting and demanding ransoms, which are used by the militias affiliated with the Turkish occupation and the Muslim Brotherhood.
In this regard, local sources from inside Afrin reported that the “Military Police” militia in Afrin notified all Kurdish youth who performed the duty of self-defense during the previous Autonomous Administration period, either to pay a fine of 1000 Turkish liras, or they will be imprisoned for three months in return for the fine as the status settlement, noting that they had previously paid an amount of one thousand five hundred Turkish liras in exchange for the settlement of their status and their release, according to the Human Rights Organization – Afrin.
What is the meaning of status settlement?
“Status settlement”, an administrative and legal term that means measures taken in accordance with human rights and administrative rules to bypass a previous situation that is inconsistent with the current reality, and therefore it does not mean the occurrence of a violation or crime, and does not require trial procedures and the issuance of penal or punitive judgments, such as arrest or payment of sums, because the fine is a penal procedure.
But the irony is that the occupation with all its consequences is illegal and unlawful, and needs a process of settling a status, and many militants have been subjected to settlement procedures with the regime under Russian auspices, and in return, the people of Afrin fulfill the full legitimacy of their natural presence in their area, and therefore what is happening is nothing more than an attempt on the part of the occupation and the militias loyal to them to impose their legitimacy, it is not different from the looting and ransom demands.
It is known that all the militia’s behavior is the implementation of the instructions of the Turkish intelligence, and aims to narrow the ways of life for the people of Afrin and push them to forcible displacement, and what is the procedure with the trials that are taking place, but a trap to trap the Kurdish citizens and extort them financially, and also examples of settling the status, the sums that are taken in the name of bail to release citizens who are arbitrarily arrested.
Models of status settlement
On the eleventh of last July, a report by “Afrinpost” said that the Turkish occupation and the militia of the Muslim Brotherhood imposed payment of money on the abducted arbitrarily in the militia headquarters, which has come to be called “paid kidnapping”, to make matters worse. Because kidnapping and arbitrary detention in itself is a heinous behavior, while the argument remains constant, either in the previous military service or the relationship with the Self-Administration during the previous era.
In the context, private local sources reported to “Afrinpost” from the district center, that the armed men of the “Sultan Murad Division”, which occupy the villages of “Bulbul / Bulbul” district, informed the citizens who performed the duty of self-defense during the previous Self-Administration period under the pretext of settling their situation in exchange for paying ransom amounting to 35,000,000 SYP, and the armed men are forcing the kidnapped Kurds to pay 5,000 SYP. Q for each night, under the pretext that it is for accommodation, food and drink throughout the period of the kidnapping.
Another report, published by “Afrinpost” on the twenty-third of last July, stated that Kurdish citizens who had previously worked for “Autonomous Administration” institutions were called upon to surrender themselves to the civil court associated with the “Civil Police” militia, under the pretext of regularizing their legal status. And obtain a non-exposure document after paying a financial guarantee.
In this regard, a Kurdish citizen told “Afrinpost” at the time that he believed that invitation and personally went to that court, and admitted that he went out in (mandatory) guard shifts within the framework of the Core Protection Forces (which are non-combat forces), so he was arrested for 3 days at the time. Pending investigation, and at the end of the trial, he obtained a document proving that he had undergone a trial, and had paid a financial guarantee of 800 Turkish liras, to be released.
The citizen added that although he had obtained a document from the court, the “civil police” militia patrols took turns to come to his home, and demanded a new financial guarantee of 400 Turkish liras, indicating that since he surrendered himself to the occupation forces about a year and a half ago, he paid four bail until now, he expressed his fear that the militants will return once again to demand additional guarantees, especially since his living conditions are going from bad to worse in light of the lack of job opportunities.
