SNA arrests lawyer in Syria’s Afrin for criticizing Turkey
ALEPPO, Syria (North Press) – A faction affiliated with the Turkish-backed armed opposition factions, aka the Syrian National Army (SNA), arrested on Tuesday a lawyer in the city of Afrin, northwestern Syria, due to criticizing of Turkish authorities and the SNA.
A source close to the detained lawyer told North Press that a faction affiliated with the SNA arrested lawyer Akram Junaid in his office in Afrin due to his criticism of Turkey and the SNA factions.
The source said Junaid had posted a video saying, “I swear by God, the revolution is being greatly betrayed by leaders appointed by Turkey, who have come only to sign and pass what serves Turkish national security at the expense of the revolution.”
The source added that before his arrest, Junaid also posted a video recording in which he said “Do not let the Turkish coordinator become a high commissioner; we [the Arabian world] who ended the Ottoman occupation.”
North Press correspondent explained that Junaid was transferred to Sheikh Hadid Prison in the northwest of the city of Afrin.
Turkish forces and its affiliated SNA factions occupied Afrin and its countryside in March 2018 after launching a military operation dubbed “Olive Branch.”
The operation caused the displacement of about 300,000 of the original inhabitants of the Kurds of Afrin who have been taking shelter in more than 50 villages and five camps in Aleppo northern countryside, locally known as Shahba region, since then.
Areas under the control of SNA factions constantly witness security chaos and frequent clashes among and within the armed factions, often resulting in casualties.