Future Syria Party: Sanctioning murderers a welcome move, but not enough
RAQQA, Syria (North Press) – On Friday, an official in the Future Syria Party stated that merely imposing economic sanctions on those involved in war crimes and human rights violations is not enough to achieve justice.
“Putting Hevrin Khalaf’s killers on the US sanctions list is welcome, but it is not sufficient,” said Ghalia al-Kejwan, a spokeswoman for the General Women’s Council in the Future Syria Party.
She added to North Press that the inclusion of Syrian factions affiliated with the Turkish government on the US sanctions list gives hope that these factions will be held accountable for other war crimes they committed in areas occupied by Turkey in northern Syria.
Ahrar al-Sharqiya faction, which is affiliated with the Turkish-backed National Army, is accused of killing the former Secretary-General of the Future Syria Party, Hevrin Khalaf, during an operation carried out by the faction on the M4 Highway in late 2019.
For the first time, the sanctions targeted two leaders of the Turkish-backed Ahrar al-Sharqiya faction, Ahmed Ihsan Fayyad al-Hayes, known as Abu Hatim al-Shakra, and Raed Jassim al-Hayes.
She indicated that the Turkish-backed factions committed war crimes, such as murder, kidnapping, and demographic change, without being held accountable for them.
Ahrar al-Sharqiya is one of the largest military formations loyal to Turkey, as its commander, Abu Hatim al-Shakra and the leaders of the opposition Syrian National Army, met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in 2018.