Humanitarian organizations call for re-auditing Turkish crimes in Syria
QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – International Federation for Human Rights and 92 human rights and civil organizations in Syria called on Sunday to re-audit and document the various crimes committed by Turkey in Syria.
The abovementioned organizations also called for holding investigations related to the issue of cutting drinking water in order to build a legal file and refer it to international criminal courts.
This came in a joint report released by the organizations, in which they indicated that Alouk water station include about 30 offshore wells, 12 pumps and a large water tank with storage capacity of 25.000 cubic meters, used to store water in case the station breaks down.
Due to the small amount of electricity that reaches the Alouk station, there are currently only 6 pumps working and only about 20 wells, according to the report.
Turkey, from Sere Kaniye (Ras al-Ain), in northeastern Syria, cuts off water on the aforementioned station, that feeds Hasakah Governorate and its countryside with drinking water through underground pipes.
Four million people reside in northeastern Syria, including more than one million IDPs and 100,000 refugees in 11 camps, according to the organizations.
Since 2019, Turkey has cut off water coming from the Alouk station in Sere Kaniye to Hasakah and its countryside 27 times.
The report pointed out that surface wells, on which residents depend, are unsafe and put children at risk of waterborne diseases.
On August 22, Council of Hasakah region, affiliated with the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES), confirmed its commitment to a Russian-brokered understanding with Turkey to supply villages of Sere Kaniye with eight megawatts of electricity in return for operating water pumps, but Ankara did not abide by this.
Earlier, Turkish Anadolu news agency reported that there was an agreement between the Russian and Turkish troops to provide electricity to Serekaniye in exchange for restarting the Alouk water station.
The federation, the organizations, and the AANES urged the need to find an alternative and effective solution to secure water, and force Turkey to withdraw immediately and unconditionally from all Syrian territory.
The organizations considered that it is necessary to increase pumping capacity of the alternative station in Hamma town, western countryside of Hasakah, to allow the delivery of the amount of fuel needed to operate the Alouk station until repairing electricity, and to facilitate the arrival of specialists to repair the damages in the station.