Lelun Afrin
The Afrin region, northwestern Syria, renowned for its ancient olive trees and as one of Syria’s leading olive-producing areas, has become a landscape of suffering for its residents. Since 2018, when factions of the Turkish-backed Syrian National Army (SNA) seized control of the area, the local population has endured escalating hardships. Systematic extortion, arrests, and economic exploitation have compounded their misery, forcing many into desperate situations.
Extortion amid olive harvesting
In villages under Jindires, including Ghazi, Satiyan, Kafr Dali Foqani, and Kafr Dali Tahtani, SNA factions like the Hamzat Division have restricted residents from harvesting olives belonging to their relatives who are living outside Afrin.
Sara al-Mohammed, a pseudonym for a resident of Maarata village, north of Afrin city, recounted her experience to a researcher from Lelun:
“I was summoned by members of the Hamzat Division and informed I couldn’t harvest olives owned by my brother-in-law’s orphaned children, who live in Aleppo.”
“Despite holding an official document from their widowed mother granting me the rights of complete action, they used GPS maps to pinpoint the areas they had forbidden me from harvesting,” she added.
Fear of theft and exploitation has led many residents to start harvesting prematurely, as early as September, far before olives reach their peak ripeness in November.
Youssef Mohammed (a pseudonym) described incidents in Senara village saying: “A civilian was brutally beaten by members of the Sultan Suleiman Shah faction, known as al-Amshat, for failing to pay extortion fees,” adding that “Another man was publicly whipped with a hose for the same reason.”
In Gamrok village, under the Maabatli district, residents face severe financial demands. Following the withdrawal of the Northern Hawks (Suqour al-Shamal) faction, the al-Amshat faction, led by Malek al-Jassem and his brother Saif al-Jassem (nicknamed Abu Bakr Bolat), imposed a $250,000 collective tax on villagers, with additional charges of $1,000 per motorcycle, tractor, or car. Families like the Haj Kasko Adnan and Fawzi were forced to pay thousands in arbitrary levies. Olive farmers were further burdened with fees of $8 per tree, a 50% tax on non-resident property, and a 14% tax on local residents’ harvests.
The Hamzat Division and other factions have introduced similar exploitative measures across Afrin:
In Kokan village, farmers face a $2 tax per tree, a 50% levy on non-residents’ harvests, and a 10% levy for locals.
In the villages of Jaqala Foqani, Jaqala Wusta, and Jaqala Tahtani in the northwest of Afrin city, the al-Amshat faction has imposed $25 per tree in taxes.
Villages like Alkana, Khalil, and Haj Bilal, under Sheikh Hadid district, have seen taxes soar to $30 per tree for non-residents and $8 for locals.
And according to Exclusive sources reported that mukhtar of Jaqala Tahtani, Rifaat Bajo, and mukhtar of Jaqala Foqani, Tawfeer, collaborated with Saif al-Jassem (brother of faction leader Muhammad al-Jassem, nicknamed Abu Amsha) to demand 30% of olive oil production. Residents were also forced to use the two mukhtars’ olive presses under the threat of checkpoints set up by the faction.
Thuraya al-Ahmad (a pseudonym) shared the plight of an elderly woman who was forced to pay $1 for every oil container (the container weighs 16 kilograms). When she proposed giving half her harvest in exchange for access to her land, the faction refused and threatened to destroy her trees.
In Kora village, Rajo district, the Eastern Army (Jaysh al-Sharqiyah) faction forced the residents to use an olive press seized by the faction. Social media videos depicted displaced individuals harvesting olives from privately owned lands, such as those of Yashar Abdo in Gazi village.
Maryam Manla (a pseudonym) reported theft by a group of 15 settler women and girls who stole olives from her family’s land. After hiring a guard to protect their property, the guard was threatened with a false accusation of assault unless he allowed the theft to continue.
In Sherawa district, south of Afrin, factions like the so-called “Joint Force” have imposed levies of $1.50 to $2 per tree, further straining residents.
According to exclusive sources, farmers passing through their lands along the road between Rajo district and the village of Katakh, near a checkpoint manned by the Eastern Army and Hamzat factions, are subject to varying extortion fees imposed by both groups.
Lelun monitored the distribution of leadership within the Sultan Murad faction across the Bulbul and Sharran districts. Villages in Bulbul district and parts of Sharran district are under the control of Sultan Murad, led by individuals known as Abu Walid al-Izza, Hanish, and Sheikh, the latter hailing from the Damascus countryside. These leaders divide control over the villages in the two districts, with Sheikh controlling 15 out of 57 villages in Sharan, while Abu Walid and Hanash oversee the rest.
In the areas under Abu Walid and Hanash’s control, the duo imposed levies of $2–$3 per olive tree and a 50% share of the produce from properties owned by residents living outside the region. For local residents, a 30% share was demanded. Sheikh imposed a $2 tax per tree and a 30% levy for both non-residents and residents alike in parts of Sharran.
In Shitka village, under the Maabatli district, the al-Amshat faction imposed an $8 tax per olive tree on properties owned by non-residents. According to Lelun sources, this faction seized 1,000 burlap sacks of olives from non-resident owners in Semalka village, also under Maabatli district. Additionally, they demanded one burlap sack for every ten from resident families.
Regarding a villager fleeing to Aleppo to escape extortion by the al-Amshat faction, Riyad al-Ahmad (a pseudonym) told Lelun: “One of the residents of our village, Senara, was subjected to a hefty extortion fee ranging between $16,000 and $17,000 . This forced him to list his car and tractor for sale through a real estate office to pay the fee. However, the proceeds were insufficient to cover the full amount, leading the man to secretly flee to Aleppo.”
Al-Ahmad added: “The al-Amshat faction recently announced a new regulation prohibiting villagers from retrieving their oil containers from the olive press, even after paying the extortion fees. Extracting oil will only be allowed after coordination between the village mukhtar and the faction for each individual seeking to claim their oil.”
Additionally, the Ahrar al-Sharqiya faction, led by Abu Tayma, imposed a fee of $3–$6 per tree in the Rajo district. Villagers were pressured to provide official ownership documents for their properties, which must be obtained from the institutions of the Syrian government, and submit them to the faction’s economic office in the district.
According to sources, witnesses interviewed by researchers, and reports from Lelun’s monitoring and documentation department, areas under the control of the al-Amshat are subjected to widespread violations. These abuses are notably more severe than in other areas controlled by the SNA factions in Afrin.
Legal analysis
The abuses in Afrin constitute gross violations of international humanitarian and human rights law:
Article 147 of the 1949 Fourth Geneva Convention prohibits excessive destruction of civilian property (cultural property is a form of civilian property), and grave breaches of law. According to the article, the practices documented in areas under the control of Turkish-backed armed factions are considered “grave breaches”, and this include: inhumane treatment of civilians, deliberate infliction of severe suffering, unlawful detention, and the large-scale unlawful seizure of money and property.
Article 33 bans collective punishment, acts of intimidation and terrorism, pillage, and reprisals.
Turkey’s responsibility as an occupying power
As the de facto controlling authority in Afrin, Turkey is obligated under international law to:
Protect civilians in areas under its control.
Ensure compliance with international humanitarian law.
Prevent abuses by affiliated factions.
Hold perpetrators accountable.
These actions breach fundamental rights, including:
The right to private property.
The right to work and earn a livelihood.
The right to safety and security.
The right to equality and non-discrimination.
Recommendations
Conduct an independent international investigation into these violations.
Prosecute those responsible for abuses.
Compensate victims for material and psychological damages.
Establish monitoring mechanisms to prevent future violations.
Ensure Turkey fulfills its legal obligations as an occupying power.
Conclusion
The systematic extortion and abuse in Afrin exacerbate economic hardship, undermine livelihoods, and contribute to a cycle of displacement and suffering. Without immediate intervention and accountability, the region’s residents will continue to endure unimaginable suffering under these conditions.