QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – Syrian and international human rights organizations on Wednesday called on Damascus to open an independent investigation after videos circulated online showing fighters throwing a woman’s body from a building in Aleppo, following last week’s clashes in the city’s Kurdish-majority neighborhoods of Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafieh.
The transitional government’s forces said they completed their takeover of Aleppo on Sunday after entering the two districts, following days of heavy fighting that left hundreds detained and tens of thousands of residents displaced, according to local monitors.
Since Saturday, social media users have shared footage showing an armed man throwing the body of a woman from a second-floor balcony amid shouts of religious slogans, scenes that prompted widespread condemnation.
Commenting on the video, Rohlat Afrin, commander of the Women’s Protection Units, told Agence France-Presse that the fighter, named Deniz, was “among five fighters who fought until their ammunition ran out and ended their lives so as not to surrender.”
Documented abuses and calls for accountability
Ezzedine Saleh, executive director of the Ta’azur Association for Victims, told North Press that verified information points to “a series of grave violations against civilians” in the two neighborhoods, including videos showing residents being rounded up, insulted, threatened, and labeled with degrading terms.
Saleh added that recordings also document the desecration and dragging of bodies and the humiliation of detainees, describing the acts as “a blatant breach of the principles of human dignity.”
He said government forces shelled civilian homes and facilities, causing deaths and dozens of injuries, while “dozens of people remain missing or forcibly disappeared, with no official information about their whereabouts or fate.”
Saleh stressed: “Any talk about the return of residents of Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafieh to their homes cannot be realistic or responsible unless it is accompanied by an immediate and comprehensive halt to all violations, genuine guarantees for the protection of residents, independent and transparent investigations, public accountability for those involved, and the inclusion of residents’ representatives in any arrangements affecting their lives and fundamental rights.”
Bassam al-Ahmad, executive director of Syrians for Truth and Justice, told North Press that the government has issued no comment on the documented abuses, while pro-government media claimed the operations were conducted “ideally” and with respect for civilians’ rights.
He said: “Military sources issued orders not to film violations, not orders not to commit them,” noting that several videos nevertheless reached the media and showed assaults on detainees and other abuses. He added that no independent investigation has been launched so far.
International monitoring
Other footage showed a fully armed soldier dragging a body along the stairs of a building in Sheikh Maqsoud. The Syrian Network for Human Rights and the verification platform Taqad confirmed the video’s authenticity and said the armed men were members of the Syrian Arab Army, calling for their immediate arrest and referral to judicial authorities.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights urged the formation of an independent UN-backed commission to investigate the violations, including the mutilation of the Kurdish female fighter’s body, saying the acts amount to war crimes.