afrinpost
Five years after the Turkish occupation army and its affiliated Brotherhood militias took control of the Kurdish region of Afrin in Syria, the Kurdish Democratic Unity Party has released a special report detailing the martyrs who died in occupation prisons or in shooting incidents by armed men, among other circumstances. The report, which was published on March 18, 2023, includes a list of the names of 280 martyrs from Afrin.
According to the report, the Turkish occupation of Afrin began on March 18, 2018, with the involvement of the militias of the so-called “Syrian National Army” linked to the Syrian-Brotherhood Coalition, under the cover of the fatwas of “Imam al-Khatib,” “Muslim scholars,” the “Syrian Islamic Council-Istanbul,” and the neo-Ottoman racist policies and expansionist ambitions of Ankara and its rulers. Violations and the commission of various crimes continue to occur systematically, including demographic change, whereby crossings to the return of forcibly displaced individuals are closed, and the settlement of militia militants and recruits from Ghouta and the countryside of Homs, Hama, Idlib, and Aleppo. The occupation aims to reduce the Kurdish presence from 95% to less than 20%.
The report notes that, as a result of the chaos and instability that the occupation has caused, the claims of the rulers of Turkey and their supporters about the availability of safety and stability in the Syrian regions they occupy are untrue. The fate of the missing, kidnapped, and forcibly disappeared detainees is unknown. During the five years of occupation, 280 civilians from Afrin were martyred and fell victim to the occupation, including 61 children and 46 women. 18 were killed or died in various circumstances during the fifth year of occupation, including under torture, live bullets, execution, explosions, and the explosion of landmines, during the crossing to Turkey, or the bombing of the areas of displacement of the displaced from Afrin. Some died under psychological pressure and harsh life conditions resulting from the occupation and its consequences, and some died as a result of the earthquake that occurred on February 6, 2023, due to negligence and delay in rescue operations. The Turkish authorities’ reluctance to carry out their duties and responsibilities contributed to this, especially since Turkey played no role in confronting the earthquake’s repercussions that caused a catastrophe in the Afrin region.
The report concludes by stating that the crimes committed against civilians have risen to the level of war crimes and crimes against humanity. The party calls for denunciation and condemnation from all parties that declare their commitment to human rights principles, conducting independent and impartial investigations, especially by the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Syria, disclosing those responsible, punishing them, and compensating the families of the victims morally and materially. The Turkish occupation authorities and the extremist militias and mercenaries loyal to them record most of the violations and crimes against unknown persons or skip formal procedures so that the criminals can escape punishment. Additionally, the families of the victims are often forced to concede and make formal reconciliations, and people are intimidated to push them towards forced migration.
The report highlights that the Ankara government is fully responsible for the situation in the region and for the lives of its people as it is a state of military occupation and the owner of effective control. Ankara is failing to take practical, legal, and security measures to protect civilians’ lives and is covering up the actions of its army and its mercenary militias. The government protects and encourages hostility towards the Kurds wherever they are, committing grave breaches of international humanitarian law, the Charter of the United Nations, and international conventions.
On behalf of the people of Afrin, the report appeals to United Nations institutions, the International Security Council, the active international forces in the Syrian arena, human rights and and civil organizations, and the various media outlets to play their role in putting an end to violations and crimes and in helping the forcibly displaced to return to their homes and receive their property safely, and to work seriously to end the Turkish occupation and defeat the militias, extremists and mercenaries, to return Afrin to the Syrian sovereignty and the administration of its people.
