333 Syrians fell victims to Turkish violations in first quarter of 2023

Since the Turkish invasion of Afrin in 2018, and Sere Kaniye (Ras al-Ain) and Tel Abyad in 2019, Turkish forces have not ceased to commit violations against Syrians. Turkey’s systematic attacks against the people in north Syria violate international laws, treaties, and covenants through illegal shelling, killing and torture of asylum seekers, arbitrary arrests of Syrians to put them on trial in Turkey in addition to its support to opposition factions accomplice in committing violations and transgressions on the rights of people in areas under their control.

In 2022, North Press was able to document the death of 183 people, including 14 children and three women, and the injury of 371 others, including 33 children and 23 women, by the Turkish forces in Syria and on the Syrian-Turkish border. The Turkish forces, through illegal and indiscriminate shelling, caused damages to 1,042 locations, including 26 vital facilities and infrastructure in northeast Syria.

In the first three months of 2023, Turkey escalated its violation against the Syrians, especially the asylum seekers trying to cross the border illegally. The Monitoring and Documentation Department of North Press recorded that the Turkish border guards killed 22 individuals and wounded 59 others in addition to arresting and assaulting 191 people while trying to cross the border.

The department documented the casualties and damages of the illegal shelling that targeted 151 positions with 592 strikes, 11 by drones.

Most drone attacks occurred in the northern countryside of Aleppo under the control of the Syrian government forces and in areas under the control of local administrations affiliated with the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES), with 485 attacks, which is 81 percent of the total attacks. The casualties reached 42, with 31 dead, including a woman and three children, and 11 wounded. 

The Turkish intelligence arrested 19 people in Afrin in the first quarter of 2023, most charged of dealing with the AANES.

Turkey, through local NGOs and with support of Kuwaiti, Qatari, and Palestinian associations built five settlements in Afrin consisting of 700 apartments. These settlements were built on the lands of the original inhabitants and forest spaces after Turkish-backed opposition factions, also known as the Syrian National Army (SNA), cut down trees for the construction of the settlement.

In January, Turkey continued its military escalation that began on December 20, 2022, against the regions of northeast Syria. It targeted the infrastructure and caused significant damage to gas, electricity, and oil facilities affecting their production. They attacked with 531 strikes which are 89 percent of the total strikes since 2023.

In February, a 7.7-magnitude earthquake struck Syria and Turkey, causing catastrophic human casualties and material damage, killing more than 50,000 people in both countries. The Turkish authorities disappointed the people in areas under its control by closing the Bab al-Hawa border crossing between Syria and Turkey and not sending rescue equipment or relief aid. They even prevented the entry of aid sent from AANES-held and government-held areas based on testimonies from private and open sources in the Syrian Coalition and armed factions obtained by the Monitoring and Documentation Department that confirmed the Salvation Government and the Coalition refused the entry of aid to northwest Syria on Turkish orders.

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.

In March, the SNA-held areas witnessed protests against violations of Turkish border guards after killing two young men, torturing seven others, and delivering one autopsied body. On 23 March, Human Rights Watch accused Turkey in its report of complicity with the SNA in killing five Kurds in Jindires while setting fire to celebrate Newroz “Kurdish New Year” in front of their house. The report said, “As an occupying power and as a backer of the local factions operating in areas under its control in northern Syria, Turkey is obliged to investigate these killings and ensure that those responsible are held accountable. Turkey should also cut all support to SNA factions implicated in recurrent or systemic human rights abuses and international humanitarian law violations.”

Turkey, as an “occupying Power” has obligations towards the areas of northwest Syria from the humanitarian, political and military aspects and has many obligations in accordance with international humanitarian law.

The law states that “The occupying power has the duty to ensure that the adequate provision of food and medical supplies is provided, as well as clothing, bedding, means of shelter, other supplies essential to the survival of the civilian population of the occupied territory,” in accordance with the Geneva Convention 4 Articles (55, 58, 30, 143).

International humanitarian law prohibits illegal Turkish targeting of civilian homes and civilian objects in accordance with Article 147 of the Geneva Convention of 1949, as criminalized in Article 25 of the Hague Regulation of 1907.

As for assaults against asylum-seekers, in accordance with international law, human rights law and all international instruments, all migrants have the right to life, and all states are required to protect all migrants and asylum-seekers. The laws prohibit the infringement of their lives and extrajudicial killings, and imposes on states not to torture or subject them to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment. According to article 9 of the International Covenant on Rights, anyone who caused extrajudicial killings must be prosecuted.