Advocacy group documents rape, torture against Kurds in Syria’s Afrin
QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – Synergy/Hevdesti Association issued on Thursday a report documenting new violations against Kurdish civilians by Turkish-backed armed factions, aka the Syrian National Army (SNA), since the launch of the military operation “Dawn of Freedom” in late November.
Synergy, a victims’ advocacy group operating in northeastern Syria, revealed that 128 people, including 20 women, were arrested by these factions. Most of the detainees were either returning to their homes in Afrin or stranded in the northern countryside of Aleppo, locally known as Shahba region.
The report highlighted severe abuses, including cases of torture and sexual assault. While 52 individuals were eventually released after enduring physical and psychological torture, the fate of 76 detainees remains unknown.
According to Synergy, Turkish-backed SNA factions demanded money from civilians as a condition to allow them to return to their homes in Afrin. Those unable or unwilling to pay were arrested by the factions, while other families were denied access to their homes and properties.
The organization also documented the arrest of at least 65 individuals, including women, under accusations of “collaborating with the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).” Many of these detainees were subjected to physical and psychological torture. While some were released after days of detention in exchange for ransom payments, the fate of others remains uncertain.
In the village of Hekjeh near the town of Sheikh Hadid (Shiye) west of Afrin, the Sultan Suleiman Shah faction (al-Amshat) demanded financial payments of up to $10,000 from families attempting to return to their homes.
The report also detailed grave human rights abuses, including the rape and murder of four women in the Shahba villages north of Aleppo following the SNA’s takeover of the area. Additionally, an elderly Kurdish man died after being arrested by these factions while attempting to return to his hometown in the Afrin countryside.