Turkey’s abuses against Syrians reach Syrian singer Omar Souleyman

QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – Under the pretext of alleged membership of the Kurdistan Workers’ party (PKK), Turkey arrested yesterday, the Syrian folk singer, Omar Souleyman, who performed at festivals around the world.

The 55-year-old Souleyman, hails from the Turkish-controlled city of Sere Kaniye (Ras al-Ain), northeast Syria, has fled to Turkey since the eruption of the Syrian war and performed many festivals in many European countries.

Sanliurfa security forces arrested Souleyman after they raided his home in the neighborhood of Karakopru on charges of being a “member of an armed terrorist organization.”

In a statement to North Press, son of the folk singer, Muhammad Souleyman, denied that his father had any ties with politics or affiliation with a political party.

In recent years, tens of thousands of people have been detained on terrorism charges in Turkey, including members of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP), which is Turkey’s third-largest political party.

Following three military operations on Syrian territory, Turkey and the Turkish-backed factions have arrested many Syrians, most of whom are Kurds, in areas it has controlled in Afrin, Sere Kaniye and Tel Abyad, north and northeast Syria, under the pretext of dealing with the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES) and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).