With the purpose of pushing them to emigrate, the occupation authorities actively continue imposing heavy fines, provoking and exerting more pressure on the Kurdish detainees and their families. Arbitrary arrests in connection with various charges continue through their proxy militias and the “Judicial-Security” apparatus which the occupation authorities have established. Most of the charges, which date back to 5-11 years ago, are of civil and non-combat nature that civilians practiced during the rule of the “Self-Administration”.
The status-quo is as follows:
= Attack on a Family Member of the Martyrs of Jindires Newroz:
On Sunday evening 23/07/2023, an armed group attacked the young man, “Nazmi Ashraf Othman, 16 years old, in his barbershop located on the road between his house and in the city of Jindires. He was severely beaten, with buttstocks and stones. The armed group put a knife on his throat and threatened him of slaughtering, and tried to run him over by their car. As a result, he suffered from fractures and wounds to his arms, damage to his spine, and bruises throughout his body. He was taken to a hospital in the town of Aqrabat- Idlib, which is under the control of “Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham” for treatment. The perpetrators have not been prosecuted or arrested to-date.
“The injured “Nazmi Ashraf Othman”.”
It is noteworthy that the young man, “Nazmi”, belongs to the “Peshmerg” family, of which four martyrs fell as a result of the crime committed by the militia of the “Sharqiya Army” on the eve of Newroz 2023 in Jindires. That crime drew widespread condemnation and a Kurdish mass protest on the ground, especially that their families are holding on to their right and insisting on demanding retribution from the criminals. In an attempt to discourage the family from following the case of the martyrs and relinquishing their rights, the attackers repeated chauvinistic phrases during the attack and said: We are Sharqiya and this is the price.
Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham exploited the event for its favor by strengthening its influence in Jindires, as it forced the “Al-Sharqiya Army” three days ago to close its three security headquarters inside Jindires, and seized them without announcing or having an official presence.
= Targeting Civilians:
The Turkish occupation forces continue to bombard the northern countryside of Aleppo, which is under the control of the Syrian army, and crowded with the displaced from Afrin:
– On 23/07/2023, the vicinity of the village of “Bineh / Abyan” – Mount Lilon was bombed with artillery resulting in material damages. Hevin Hamo Sharo, 20 years from the village of “Qibara” – Afrin, who had been living there since displacement from her village during the aggression and occupation of the region in 2018, was also wounded with shrapnel in her foot.
– On 28/07/2023, the village of “Kondi Mazin” – Mount Lilon was targeted with medium-weapons. As a result, the child “Khalil Muhammad Oso, 14 years old was injured, and was taken to the hospital in the neighboring town of Al-Zahra.
– On 29/07/2023, the city of Tal Rifaat was bombarded with artillery whereby one of the shells hit Manhal site for water distribution. The driver of one of the tanks, Azad Hussain Kul Dadu, 35 years old from Jala village – Rajo, was injured. It is noteworthy that his elderly father, Hussein Abdullah Kul Dado ,74 years old, along with nine others, most of them children, were killed on 02/12/2019 in a massacre committed by the Turkish army and its militias by bombing “Tal Rifaat” at the time.
“The injured “Azad Hussain Kul Dado”.”
= Arbitrary Arrests:
Under the name of “terror lists”; Turkish intelligence directly supervises and manages all arrests against the Kurds in the region and sends lists of names of those targeted to Ankara. The occupation authorities have arrested:
- From the town of “Baadina” – Rajo:
1- On 26/07/2023, the citizen Muhammad Muhammad Fati Sunni, a pharmacist aged 45 years was arrested by the militias of the “Military Police in Rajo”, on a fabricated charge.
2- On 27/07/2023, the citizens, Saeed Abdo Othman, 65 years old, and Hamid Hamid Kanjo, 25years old, were arrested by the “Rajo Police”, in connection with having relations with the former Self-Administration.
In our previous report, it was mentioned, by mistake, that the citizen Ismail Aref Alo, who was arrested on 16/07/2023, was released. In fact, he is still under arrest and has been transferred from Rajo’s Police Prison to Maratah Central Prison in Afrin, where he is still in custody.
Furthermore, the occupation court sentenced Ahmed Bakr Ali ,43 years old, to one-year imprisonment and Mohammed Nazmi Hamdi ,44 years old, to six months’ imprisonment as well as financial fines. They were both arrested on May 1, 2023 by “Rajo Police” on charges of relationship with Self-Administration. They are still in Maratah Central Prison.
- From the village of Dir Sowan – Shara / Sharan:
1- The 50-year-old citizen “Hussein Mustafa Haddak who suffers from a disability in his back was about four months ago on a fabricated charge. He is still arbitrarily detained in Ezaz Prison. Upon breaking-in his house, the militias of “Sultan Murad Division” confiscated his car (Chevrolet Jeep) and are using it to Bulbul District Center, and 15 thousand US dollars.
2- The 40-year citizen Ali Nawaf Abdel Aziz, a barber, was arrested from his home two months ago. He was taken to Ezaz Prison on fabricated charges. He was released on 28/07/2023 having paid 5,000 dollars as bribes or fines.
- Ali Rashid Qassem, 45, a resident of “Aboudan” village – Bulbul, was arrested two years ago on a fabricated charge, and he is still arbitrarily detained in Rajo Black Prison, even without a mock trial.
- Three days after his return from displacement in Aleppo, Khalil Abdo bin Aref, 35, a resident of “Koukan”village – Mabata / Maabatli, was arrested about two weeks ago by the militia of the “Sultan Suleiman Shah Brigade”, on charges of having relations with the former Self-Administration. He went to the Brigade in order to “settle his status”, where he was handed over to the militias of the “Civil Police in Maabatli”. He was then transferred to the “Maratah” Central Prison.
- The “Military Police of Jindires” arrested on 24/07/203, the citizens “Muhammad Mustafa Banafshah, 30 years old, Abd al-Rahman Hussein Aliko, 35 years old, Khaled Rasool Kul Khalo, 28 years old, and Jumaa Mustafa Awan 27 years old, who all come from “Jalma” – Jindires, on charges of having relations with the former Self-Administration. Three of them were released after imposing financial fines on them, but Banafsh is still in arbitrary detention.
- Farouk Zakaria Rasho, 25 years old, a resident of Shekhotka – Mabata / Maabatli was arrest twenty days ago by “Maabatli Police” and taken to the Central Prison of “Maratah” on charges of having relations with the former Self-Administration. He is still under arbitrary detention.
After imposing a fine of /300/ US dollars on him, the occupation authorities released on 27/07/2023, the citizen “Hussein Rashid Hamza” from the town of “Kfar Safra”. He was arrested on 15/07/2023.
= Chaos and Lawlessness:
– In the village of “Hupka”-Rajo heavy gunfire was fired on the evening of 27/07/2023 as a kind of celebrating the wedding of “Northern Brigade” militia leader’s cousin called “Abu Abdullah Al-Zarba”. The bullets fell on the roofs of house where people are used to sleep due to the summer heat. The occupation authorities did not move a finger, as they do not prevent shooting on occasions among civilians. Rather, carrying weapons and using them arbitrarily by militia members and the settlers is permissible.
“Bullets on the bed of a resident in Rajo.”
= Other Violations:
– Under the pretext of checking the distribution of aid, the security forces of “Sham Legion” militia led by the so-called “Salil al-Khalidi” conducted last week a population census and personal and family security data in the villages of “Jaqmaq Kabir and Saghir, Alamdara, Janjalia” – Rajo district and other villages and towns under its control in favor of Turkish intelligence. The real purpose, however, is to follow up the smallest details about the remaining Kurds – the indigenous population, their children and relatives who reside outside the region.
“”Salil al-Khalidi” leader of the “Sham Corps” militia in Rajo district.”
The arbitrary arrests of the Kurds in Afrin are considered a grave violation of international humanitarian law and the Syrian constitution and Penal Code. Furthermore, their actions were not crimes against individuals, society or the state, and should be covered by the legal statute of limitations.
29.07.2023
Media office – Afrin
Kurdish Democratic Unity Party in Syria (Yekiti)
——————
Attachments:
– The injured “Nazmi Ashraf Othman”.
– The injured “Azad Hussain Kul Dado”.
– Bullets on the bed of a resident in Rajo.
– “Salil al-Khalidi” leader of the “Sham Corps” militia in Rajo district.
—————-
* Translated from Arabic by Europe’s Organization of the Kurdish Democratic Unity Party in Syria (Yekiti)
———-
To download the full file, click here: