Arabic to English Translation*
The military administration of “Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham”(HTS) immediately opened all civil and military prisons that had been under the control of the former Syrian regime, completely emptying them. However, the so-called “Syrian Interim Government” issued an amnesty for “offenses committed before December 8, 2024, including misdemeanors and violations, and partially for certain non-serious criminal offenses.” This amnesty excluded detainees imprisoned on political grounds, such as prisoners of war, members of Kurdish parties, or individuals with connections to the former self-administration. Most of these detainees are indigenous Kurdish residents of Afrin. Approximately 500 individuals (an estimated number) remain forcibly disappeared in prisons such as Al-Rai and Al-Bab, as well as in detention centers in Azaz, Al-Bab, and Jarabulus. Many have been detained for nearly six years. Additionally, around 300 individuals, including women, are held in Maratah Central Prison and other militia-controlled detention centers in Afrin.
The following are facts about the current situation:
=The Dominance of “Abu Amsha”:
Mohammad Al-Jassim, known as “Abu Amsha,” the leader of the “Sultan Suleiman Shah Brigade,” along with his brothers, continues to exploit and confiscate the wealth and properties of Kurdish residents in the villages and towns under their control. These actions are carried out through threats of violence, torture, and even sexual assault against both men and women. They also involve the cutting of olive trees and the seizure of homes along with their contents. Displaced residents are not permitted to return to their villages, and homes or olive fields are not returned to their rightful owners unless large sums of extortion money are paid. Dozens of men from each village are forced into hiding or fleeing, unable to pay the exorbitant fees demanded, particularly during the olive harvest season.
Examples include:
- Shiyeh/Sheikh Al-Hadid Town:
The “Amshat” group interrogates all returning families from displacement areas, including elderly men and women. Some families, after returning, fled again to Aleppo due to pressure. Around 50 Kurdish men still in the town are in hiding and avoid sleeping in their homes to escape punishment for failing to pay remaining olive harvest extortion fees. Recently, the group publicly beat and humiliated the elderly “Hikmat Bakr Bablis“ in the town square, insulting Kurds and those unable to pay extortion fees.
- “Heikeijeh“ Village (Jenderes):
Residents face immense pressure, particularly /25/ families who could not fully pay olive harvest fees. Many men have gone into hiding, with /15/ fleeing to Aleppo. The “Amshat” threatened one individual in the village, including threats of abducting his wife and physically assaulting him.
- “Arandeh“ Village (Shiyeh):
Resident “Shaaban Youssef Hanan, “who returned with his family, was demanded to pay $5,000 to remain in the village. Unable to afford this, he relocated to Afrin to live with relatives. Another resident, “Ahmad Nouri Jaafar, “ could not reclaim his home because it is occupied by another family from the village. The occupants, too, cannot secure another residence without paying a financial extortion fee.
- “Sanoreh“ Village (Shiyeh):
Resident “Fakhri Sheikh Sido“ and his family fled to Aleppo, unable to pay the olive harvest fees demanded by Abu Amsha’s forces.
- “Anqaleh“ Village (Shiyeh):
Resident “Aref Ezzat Aref“ and his family fled to an unknown location due to their inability to meet the financial demands tied to the olive harvest. Meanwhile, “residents Mohammad Hassan Aloko and Khalil Sheikh Zro, “ along with their families, were denied permission to return to the village for the same reason. Aloko now resides in Afrin, while Sheikh Zro relocated to Jenderes.
= Arbitrary Arrests:
Regarding the arrest of dozens of Kurdish returnees to Afrin this month, our previous report (No. 310) stated that most were released following an amnesty issued by the so-called “Syrian Interim Government.” However, upon investigation and implementation of the amnesty, it was revealed that only a few were actually released, as the charges against most of them were politically motivated. These charges included affiliations with the former self-administration or its governance of displacement areas in northern rural Aleppo, among other accusations. While some former detainees were freed from Al-Rai Prison when locals from Al-Bab broke open the prison doors, others were released from Maratah Central Prison.
Additionally:
– In Afrin:
The “Military Police” recently arrested two brothers, “Janyar and Rashid, sons of Mohammad Keilo, “ from the village of “Aranda” (Shiyeh/Sheikh Hadid). They were detained after returning with their family from displacement areas in northern rural Aleppo to their home in the village of “Surkeh” (Rajo). Both remain in arbitrary detention, with no communication allowed with their family.
Before them, another son of Osman Keilo from Arandeh was arrested upon his return to “Surkeh” and was only released after paying a ransom.
Similarly, the young man “Mohammad Ahmad Naasan“ from “Arandeh” was detained for several days after returning with his family to their home in “Surkeh. ” He was also released after paying a ransom.
– In Azaz:
Approximately a month ago, the “Military Police” arrested “Walid Hassan Oso, /25/ years old, ” from the town of ” Badino” (Rajo), at the Bab al-Salama crossing. He had been forcibly deported with his family from Adana, Turkey. While his wife and two children were allowed to proceed to the town, “Walid” was transferred to the Azaz Central Prison, where he remains in arbitrary detention.
= Cutting of Olive Trees:
Recently, militias affiliated with “Faylaq al-Sham” cut down several olive trees belonging to a local resident, “Osman Haji, “near the town of Meydanki in the Sharra/Sharran district, ostensibly for use as firewood.
“Abu Amsha” continues to perpetrate violations and crimes against the Afrin region and its residents, disregarding reports that document and call for accountability for these actions. Despite the significant political developments in Syria, including the fall of the previous regime and the country’s transition into a new historical phase, he remains unrestrained. This is largely due to strong official and nationalist Turkish party protection, along with his acceptance and reception in Damascus.
21.12.2024
Media Office-Afrin
Kurdish Democratic Unity Party in Syria (Yekiti)
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Images:
– The amnesty decree issued by the so-called “Syrian Interim Government” on December 8, 2024.
– “Mohammad Al-Jassim” (leader of the Sultan Suleiman Shah Brigade) and “Saif Abu Bakr” (leader of the Hamza Brigade) alongside “Ahmad Al-Shar’a” (leader of Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham) in Damascus on December 16, 2024.
– “Mohammad Al-Jassim” and “Saif Abu Bakr” meeting with “Devlet Bahçeli” (Chairman of the Turkish Nationalist Movement Party, MHP) in Turkey on December 19, 2024.
– Cutting down of olive trees in the town of Meydanki.
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* Under the supervision of the European Organization of the Kurdish Democratic Unity Party in Syria (Yekîtî).
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