AFRIN, Syria (North Press) – Residents of Afrin, northern Syria, live in constant fear that their family members will be subjected to violations by Turkish-backed armed opposition groups which have controlled the area since March 2018.
These families fear that their children may be kidnapped or murdered by these groups, who aim to expel the remaining people living there so that they can seize their property.
My children are in danger
Ali Ahmed (a pseudonym), a resident of Afrin, said “I am frightened and worried about my 20-year-old daughter’s departure from home to complete her education, due to the recent kidnappings, rapes, and harassment, most of which are committed by Turkish-backed armed opposition groups.”
Most of Afrin’s teachers and doctors left Afrin as a result of the security chaos, so living in Afrin has become increasingly difficult, Ahmed added.
“I fear for my children all the time; I can’t stop thinking about their future…what will happen to them, whether they will be able to finish their education or not,” Ahmed said.
The Violations Documentation Center in Northern Syria documented the arrest of 100 people in Afrin by Turkish-backed armed groups for various charges in August.
“They mess with our lives”
The violations are not limited only to the city of Afrin, but also include towns and villages whose people were safe before Turkey and its affiliated groups took control of them.
Sami Jaber (a pseudonym), a resident of the Shih district in the countryside of Afrin, said that “none of the town’s residents are able to leave their homes after sunset.”
He added, “We are afraid of assault or kidnapping in exchange for ransom, as leaders and members of the groups tamper with our lives.”
“The interest of the leaders of these factions is focused on securing luxury cars that they obtained by taking the possessions of the displaced and collecting royalties and ransoms from the rest,” Jaber added.
The man, who is still in his town, believes that residing in Afrin is something that only those who can tolerate the abuse of the armed groups and prefer it to living in camps are able to do.
Accused of sedition
The Afrin Post website reported on September 2 that members of the Turkish-backed armed groups arrested five elderly citizens of Biremjah village in Mabata district in Afrin, on charges of previously dealing with the Kurdish-held Autonomous Administration.
According to the Human Rights Organization in Afrin, the five elderly citizens were released after each one paid a ransom of 800 Turkish liras (about 108 dollars at the time of this report).
Residents of Afrin who are subjected to violations of their human rights are frequently accused of dealing with Kurdish parties or the former Autonomous Administration in order to justify their abuse.
Afrin resident Abu Ghraib (a pseudonym) said that the repeated violations of the armed opposition groups have nearly emptied the city of its original inhabitants.
He added, “The attacks by those groups against the people are sometimes carried out on charges of dealing with [Kurdish parties], sometimes by paying royalties on shops and lands, and sometimes by making obscene words and harassing girls.”
He also said, “This is what made the idea of leaving the city a preoccupation for the people; some of them fled by themselves, while others still consider fleeing a weakness and leaving their possessions is something their minds cannot comprehend.”
Abu Ghraib sent his children to the countryside of Manbij and stayed with his wife to take care of their home and land, without dealing with their surroundings except for necessities, to avoid any violations.
Afrin has been witnessing security chaos such as kidnapping, theft, and murder, which has led to the death and injury of dozens of residents there, since Turkey and its affiliated opposition groups took control of Afrin on March 18, 2018.