420 victims by SNA factions in Syria in first quarter of 2023
Violations of rights and freedoms
Since Turkish-backed armed opposition factions, also known as the Syrian National Army (SNA), took control of Afrin, Sere Kaniye (Ras al-Ain), and Tel Abyad regions, north Syria, in 2018 and 2019, they have not ceased to commit violations and systematic war crimes against the original people as the world watched. They have committed these crimes with the support of Turkey and have caused the displacement of about 700,000 people. The areas under their control, which witness unstable security, have become an epicenter for the narcotics trade and human trafficking.
In five years, the factions violated civilians’ rights, arbitrarily arrested, tortured and abused them. They committed extra-judicial killings, seized properties and imposed royalties on them. No domestic or international law or resolution deterred these militants from committing these actions easing their impunity. In 2022, North Press managed to document the death of 28 and the injury of 43 others by the SNA, in addition to the death and injury of 42 women and children and 72 cases of rape against women and children in the SNA-held areas.
In the first quarter of 2023, the violations have been intensified against the civilians in the SNA-held areas. The Department recorded the death of 19 individuals and the injury of 71, including two women and three children, by the SNA. It also documented 21 cases of robbery and 33 cases of appropriation of civilian property where the factions used guns against civilians, including the elderly and women. The factions illegally cut down 5,258 trees to sell as firewood and make extra money.
The factions arbitrarily arrested 307 people, including 191 asylum seekers handed over by Turkish border guards. They released 211 people, including asylum seekers and 20 civilians after paying huge amounts of money. The majority of the 96 detainees are from Afrin and its countryside, and their fate and location are still unknown. 62 detainees were charged with complicity with the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES), a charge constantly used by the factions to arbitrarily arrest opponents or civilians. They detained 14 others for participating in protests, whereas the reason for the arrest of the remaining detainees is unknown.
In March, Afrin region witnessed large-scale protests following the killing of five civilians in the town of Jindires by Ahrar al-Sharqiya faction for igniting fire to celebrate Newroz on March 20. The locals demanded to hold the perpetrators accountable for the crime, but the faction denied that the accusers belonged to them. The truth according to eyewitnesses, relatives of the victims, and a report by Human Rights Watch, is that the accusers are indeed members of Ahrar al-Sharqiya.
In February, after large parts of Syria were destroyed in the 7.7 magnitude devastating earthquake, the factions did not stop their violations despite the destruction that occurred in areas under their control. They found an opportunity to make money by seizing relief aid sent for quake-affected people, imposing taxes on aid convoys, stealing belongings from partially destroyed houses of civilians living in tents, and committing racial discrimination during search and rescue operations and aid delivery. The department recorded that the factions seized over 1,000 tents provided by NGOs to earthquake survivors in addition to more than four aid trucks and hundreds of aid rations.
In January, before the earthquake happened, hostilities and security unrest escalated in the highest statistic recorded since the beginning of 2023. The factions killed 11 individuals and wounded 25 others, committed 32 cases of appropriation of civilian property, 18 cases of robbery, and cut down 3,262 trees in Afrin region.
The Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Syria (IICI) released a report on February 7, 2023 that revealed the involvement of Turkish officials in torturing victims who were arbitrarily arrested in Syria by Turkish-backed opposition factions. The report showed cases of torture and assault, in which Turkish officials were involved. According to the report, the victims were subjected to beating, electric shocks, sexual harassment, rape, and threating of rape. The report confirmed that these people were arbitrarily detained for periods of time, ranging from one month to three years. Their relatives were prohibited from knowing their location. Some detainees were transferred illegally to Turkey.
The Commission explained in the report that in areas under active Turkish control, Turkey is bound by existing human rights obligations and is responsible for ensuring public order and safety and providing special protection to women and children.
The Department managed to obtain information about three detention centers located in Sere Kaniye under the control of the al-Hamzat faction, Civil Police, and Military Police. The detainees are subjected to abuse, torture, starvation, forced nudity, and other inhumane treatment. According to the source, most arrests are arbitrary and malicious, where the detainees are released after paying amounts of money, starting from $ 500, to the prison’ official.
In one case, a death sentence was imposed on a detainee because his relatives were unable to pay money for his release. The detainee’s files are often sent to Turkey, which in turn decides to sentence the detainee to remain inside Syrian territory or to be transferred to Turkey for trial. The factions take advantage of this situation to exploit the detainee’s families to make money from them on the pretext of expediting proceedings.
All the systematic actions committed by Turkish-backed factions with the support of the Turkish authorities against civilians are a violation of their rights and international laws and instruments. These practices are classified as war crimes and inhumane crimes which the perpetrators are held accountable for. Turkey, a supporter of these factions and as an occupying force, is bound by international humanitarian and human rights law, which prohibits all violations mentioned in the report and obliges it to ensure the survival of civilians and respect for all their rights.