HROs in Syria’s Qamishli report three years of violations in Afrin
QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – On Thursday, human rights organizations operating in northeast Syria, issued a report documenting violations committed by the Turkish forces and the armed opposition groups in Afrin region, northwest Syria, over three years.
The report was prepared by the Human Rights Organization in the Jazira region, the Human Rights Organization in Afrin – Syria, the Rojava Center for Strategic Studies, in addition to women’s organizations and human rights unions.
“The Turkish invasion on March 18, 2018, caused the displacement of hundreds of thousands of people, amounting to about 80% of Afrin’s indigenous population,” the report said.
“The artillery, air strikes and military operations during the incursion killed 498 civilians and injured more than 696 others, including 303 children and 213 women,” it added.
The report pointed out that 64 schools were destroyed during the military operations, and more than 50,000 students were deprived of the right to education, in addition to closing educational centers, and turning them into military headquarters, detention and investigation centers.
In addition, the Turkish language has been imposed in schools.
“The killings and kidnappings reached 943 people in 2018, dozens of whom were killed under torture or were executed without trial on charges of dealing with the Autonomous Administration,” according to the report.
“During 2018, dozens of critical sites and health, educational and service facilities were targeted, including Afrin Hospital, Meydanki Dam, ambulances and water purification station.”
“In 2019, 6,000 people were kidnapped in Afrin, of whom 330 were whose fate is still unknown, and 700 people were tortured,” the report noted.
It mentioned that young children were kidnapped, filmed and the videos were sent to their families to blackmail them, and force them to pay ransoms which sometimes mounts to $100,000.
“95 people were killed in 2019 as a result of the military operations and torture in detention facilities, and 2,400 people were injured due to the bombardments and explosions of mines and booby traps,” as the report stated.
The report discussed that the Turkish shelling took place in December 2019 on the city of Tel Rifaat, 35 km north of Aleppo, killed 8 children and 2 adults, and wounded 9 others and 8 adults.”
The report also documented “40 women were killed and 128 injured, in addition to the recording of 60 cases of sexual violence, most of which occurred against minors, in the same year.”
In 2020, the report indicated that “58 people were killed, including 9 women, and 987 people were kidnapped, as well as recording 39 explosions, killing and wounding 170 people.”
According to the report, “35 women were kidnapped, in addition to recording 67 cases of sexual violence against women, including minors, and documenting five cases of forced marriage by the armed groups.”
The report highlighted the violations that took place during the first three months of 2021, when “15 civilians were killed, including four women and children.”
It pointed out that 153 civilians, including 15 women and children, were kidnapped.
The report counted 3,000 olive trees were cut down by the armed groups, in addition to looting and destroying 15 archaeological hills in the region.
It note to the large-scale change operations took place against religious minorities, as the number of Yezidi villages was 22 that were inhabited by about 25,000 people before 2011, while their population does not exceed 7,000 people now.
Regarding violations of agricultural and forestry wealth, the report pointed out that “more than 315,000 forest and olive trees were cut down, including 300 rare perennial trees and 15,000 oak trees.
“More than 11,000 forest trees, equivalent to 2,180 dunums, were burned, and more than 10,000 out of the 33,000 hectares of agricultural land were burned.”
Regarding what was happened to the historical monuments in Afrin, more than 28 archaeological sites were destroyed, including the temple of Ain Dara, the site of the Prophet Hori- Cyrrhus, the tomb of Saint Marmaron, and 75 archaeological hills.
The report of the human rights organizations shed light on the destruction of more than 15 religious shrines of religious and sectarian minorities, and the Turkification of the names of most streets, squares, public and historical places.
The human rights organizations called on the international community, the United Nations and international human rights organizations, to end “the Turkish occupation of the Syrian territory.”
It also demanded work to allow the international organizations to enter Afrin, to open an independent investigation, and to bring the perpetrators of the “National Army” and Turkish soldiers to the international justice.
March 18th marks the third anniversary of the Turkish invasion of the city of Afrin, northwest Syria, with the participation of the armed opposition groups.