afrinpost
Turkish authorities and their affiliated armed militias continue efforts to erase the cultural and historical identity of Afrin’s inhabitants, aiming to obliterate its Kurdish identity and history.
A documentary report by the Kurdish Democratic Unity Party in Syria (Yekiti), published on July 6, 2024, revealed that the Turkish-affiliated “Liwa’ AL-Shamal/ Northern Brigade” militia, has converted the home of the Kurdish politician Rashid Hamo in the village of “Hopka” in Rajo district into a private prison.
Rashid Hamo was a founding member of the first Kurdish political organization in Syria in 1957. His home was a symbol of political struggle and the dissemination of knowledge in the region. Before the occupation of Afrin, the house was a venue for national events and a hub for learning. Hamo and his wife Khadija are buried in its courtyard, along with the grave of their eldest son, Qadri Jan.
The armed militias exploit slogans of freedom, yet the late activist Rashid Hamo had been advocating against the authoritarian regime in Syria for over sixty years, enduring numerous security persecutions and imprisonments. Hamo established a private preparatory school in Afrin in 1951 and co-founded a cultural association with a group of intellectuals, including the late Shawkat Naasan, who were all detained, leading to the school’s closure and the confiscation of its contents.
Rashid Hamo’s journey in political activism continued by joining the Syrian Communist Party in 1952 and contributing to the establishment of the first communist organization in Afrin. In 1957, he helped establish the first Kurdish organization in Syria, became a dedicated cadre, and faced multiple arrests and persecutions. Hamo devoted his life to political and intellectual struggle until his tragic death in a car accident on December 17, 2010.
Rashid Hamo
If the armed militias were sincere in their freedom slogans, they would have preserved the legacy of a Syrian activist like Rashid Hamo, who was far ahead in advocating for freedom.
“Hopka” village, Rashid Hamo’s birthplace, is located 2 km west of Rajo town and consists of 27 houses. It was bombed several times during the Turkish aggression on Afrin, leading to the displacement of its original Kurdish inhabitants, with only seven families returning.
The village is controlled by the “Northern Brigade” militia led by Abu Abdullah al-Zarba from al-Zarba town in southern Aleppo countryside. The militia’s fighters have looted most household items, seized olive groves and vineyards belonging to the displaced, or imposed hefty levies on properties managed by proxies of their owners. They have also taken over 20 houses, including their supplies, furniture, and equipment.
