Turkey illegally extradites and prosecutes Syrians on its territory, says Human Rights Watch
QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – On Wednesday, Human Rights Watch (HRW) published a report on its website which claims that Turkey has transferred Syrian citizens that its own military and proxy forces arrested in Syria to Turkish territory, in violation of the Geneva Convention.
The report claims that the Turkish military and the Turkish-backed Syrian National Army illegally arrested and transferred at least 63 Syrians from northern Syria to Turkey, to face charges that could result in life imprisonment.
Turkish forces control vast swaths of territory in northern Syria, including Afrin, Sere Kaniye (Ras al-Ain), Tel Abyad, Jarabulus, and Bab. Turkey invaded the Afrin region in 2018, and the Sere Kaniye and Tel Abyad regions in 2019, and have been an occupying force in these places ever since.
Article 49 of the 4th Geneva Convention expressly prohibits “individual or mass forcible transfers, as well as deportations of protected persons from occupied territory.”
Human Rights Watch’s Middle East director Michael Page stated that “Turkish authorities, as an occupying power, are required to respect people’s rights under the law of occupation in northeastern Syria, including the prohibition on arbitrary detention and on the transfer of people to their territory.”
HRW reviewed 4,700 pages of Turkish documents on the arrest of 63 Syrian citizens, though the report indicates that the actual number of Syrians illegally transferred to Turkey may be as high as 200.
Turkish prosecuting authorities mention the official location of the “crime” in the province of Sanilurfa, though detailed reports, including statements of several detainees to the public prosecutor, indicate that the individuals were arrested in Syria before being transferred to Turkey.
Documentation also shows signs of torture and ill-treatment, including photos of detainees with bruises and cracked lips.
HRW called on Turkey to “stop transferring Syrian nationals from the occupied area and detaining and prosecuting them in Turkey,” and immediately return all Syrian detainees transferred to Turkey.