afrinpost-Exclusive
On January 18, The European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights, six survivors from Afrin, and Syrians for Truth and Justice (STJ) and their partners submitted a criminal complaint to the German Federal Prosecutor’s Office, calling for a comprehensive investigation into the “crimes and violations” committed by Turkey and its affiliated armed militias in the Afrin region.
The organization “Syrians for Truth and Justice” stated on its website: “Armed militias, supported by Turkey, commit crimes under international law in Afrin, northwest Syria. To address these crimes, human rights organizations, the European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights (ECCHR), and Syrians for Truth and Justice (STJ) filed a criminal complaint with the German Federal Prosecutor’s Office.”
Bassam Al-Ahmad, the Executive Director of Syrians for Truth and Justice, commented: “The residents of Afrin, especially the Kurdish citizens, have faced widespread and systematic violations since 2018. These violations range from enforced disappearances, arbitrary arrests, torture, and sexual violence. Seizing the properties of local residents through looting, occupation, and exorbitant taxes prevents forcibly displaced Afrin residents from returning home and aims to coerce those who remain into fleeing.”
Al-Ahmad added: “These human rights violations committed by Turkish-backed Islamic militias are crimes under international law and can be investigated anywhere in the world. Alongside six survivors, Syrians for Truth and Justice, the European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights, and their partners filed a criminal complaint with the German Federal Prosecutor’s Office on January 18, 2024, to demand a comprehensive investigation into the perpetrators.”
Patrick Kroker, responsible for the work of the European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights, stated: “Since 2011, the Federal Prosecutor’s Office has been investigating numerous human rights crimes committed in Syria. The trial regarding the torture carried out by the Syrian state before the Koblenz Higher Regional Court was a groundbreaking step. However, the atrocities committed by mostly Islamic militias against the Kurdish population in northern Syria have been a blind spot in these investigations until now. This must change, as the ruling militias in Afrin have established a reign of violence and arbitrariness with Turkish support.”
The submission of the complaint coincides with the sixth anniversary of the Turkish aggression on the Kurdish region of Afrin on January 20, 2018, which led to the forced displacement of its original Kurdish residents after 58 days of battles. Those who remain continue to face almost daily violations, documented by human rights reports and media.
