Lelun Afrin
Despite the fall of the Assad regime and the liberation of most Syrian regions on December 8, 2024, the people of Afrin remain unable to celebrate a true sense of freedom. Since the Syrian National Army (SNA) factions assumed control in March 2018, violations have become a grim fixture of daily life, especially in areas governed by the Sultan Suleiman Shah Brigade, also known as “al-Amshat.”
These abuses, concentrated in specific villages and sub-districts, vary in intensity depending on the controlling faction. The Lelun Association for Victims reports numerous appeals from residents under the control of the al-Amshat faction led by Mohammed al-Jassim, known as Abu Amsha. These appeals spotlight oppressive practices including excessive levies, arbitrary detentions, torture, and threats against women’s dignity.
Methodology
This report, compiled by the LelunAssociation, draws on testimonies from victims and eyewitnesses collected between November and December 2024. Interviews were conducted through secure communication channels, with identities protected to ensure participant safety. Testimonies were cross-verified through multiple sources to uphold accuracy and neutrality.
Economic exploitation and harsh living conditions
The olive season has brought intensified financial exploitation by the al-Amshat faction. Under the guise of “protection,” residents are subjected to arbitrary levies, including the forced provision of a tin (16 kilograms) of olive oil per family. Returnees face additional financial hurdles, being charged entry fees starting at $1,000 to access their own villages. These extortionate practices have driven many to sell personal and familial assets, yet even compliance does not guarantee safety from further confiscations.
Amina Mustafa (a pseudonym), a resident of Kakhra (Yakhour) in the Sheikh Hadid/Shiyeh sub-district, described the dire situation to a Lelunresearcher saying: “The al-Amshatfaction has again imposed arbitrary taxes, leaving some residents with no choice but to sell their properties. Even then, they aren’t spared. For instance, the car of Mohammed Mannan Abbo, a villager, was seized when he couldn’t afford the tax.”
These practices have plunged residents into worsening poverty, exacerbating their suffering and stripping them of their fundamental rights.
Arbitrary arrests and systematic torture
The al-Amshat faction has intensified its imposition of levies during the olive season, forcing each family to provide a tin of olive oil (16 kilograms) under the guise of “protection.” Witnesses reported that residents unable to meet these demands faced brutal retaliation.
“When residents refused to pay the levies due to their inability, the faction launched a campaign of arrests targeting young men and the elderly, including Azad Hesso, Furat Qassem, Ahmed Waqqas, Mohammed Obaid, Jamil Mahmoud, Jamil Qassem, Mohammed Mannan, Najib Hannan, and Hamo Waqqas,“ one of the witnesses recounted.
Hassan Rashid Hanan, for example, was barred from accessing his land. Despite selling his car and agricultural equipment to meet the faction’s demands, he was still subjected to arrest and torture.
Torture and escalating violence
Murad Omar (a pseudonym) described the harrowing conditions experienced by his detained relative saying, “Those detained were subjected to severe torture during the first hours of their detention, resulting in serious physical injuries from the brutal beatings.”
Yara al-Ahmad (a pseudonym), another witness, detailed the ordeal of her brother’s friend, saying, “He managed to pay $6,000 of the $9,000 demanded. When he couldn’t provide the full amount, he was severely beaten, leaving him with a serious back injury. He had no choice but to flee with his family, becoming homeless and enduring even greater suffering.”
Razan Issa (a pseudonym) shared further evidence of the faction’s coercive practices. He said: “The Sultan Suleiman Shah Brigade seizes residents’ cars and tractors, resorting to brutal beatings if levies aren’t paid,” adding that “even displaced returnees, who have nothing, aren’t spared. One faction member told those unable to pay: ‘Go and sell your organs to pay up.'”
In one instance, a villager was detained and fined $1,800 for non-compliance. Upon paying, he was penalized an additional $100 for a supposed delay in payment.
Widespread detentions and severe penalties
Sarah al-Mohammed (a pseudonym) disclosed the conditions faced by those imprisoned for failing to pay levies. “The faction detained all who couldn’t meet their demands in a prison in Sheikh Hadid/Shiyeh,” she said. “There, detainees endure relentless torture for sums ranging from $12,000 to $15,000.”
Thuraya al-Ahmad (a pseudonym) described the plight of Yusuf Murad (a pseudonym), a man prevented from entering his own village due to his inability to pay. She said, “Yusuf, who had returned from Aleppo, was denied entry to his village and home,” adding, “He was forced to seek refuge elsewhere, away from his family and livelihood.”
Similar stories emerged from other villages in the same area. AlmazaHassan (a pseudonym) recounted an incident in Heikjeh village. “On December 14, 2024, the faction raided the home of 70-year-old HanifMohou,” she said. “Despite having paid multiple levies previously, he was detained for being unable to pay again. The faction shot his dog as an intimidation tactic before taking him to prison.“
She elaborated that Mohammed Hussein Suleiman, another resident, was also detained for failing to meet levy demands, adding that, “On November 18, 2024, 38-year-old NidalTana [another resident] was arrested despite suffering from severe health conditions due to a previous accident. Also on December 15, 2024, Faisal Saeed Ahmed, along with ShukriHassan and his son, were detained for unpaid levies totaling $12,000, despite already having paid several prior amounts ranging from $2,000 to $3,000.”
These testimonies paint a bleak picture of life under the al-Amshatfaction’s control, where financial exploitation, arbitrary arrests, and brutal violence have become the daily reality for Afrin’s residents.
Escalating violations and human rights abuses
On December 20, Farah al-Din, a 50-year-old citizen, was arrested for his inability to pay the levies demanded by the al-Amshat. He remains detained, with his fate unknown.
Yara Ismail (a pseudonym), speaking to a Lelun, highlighted the extreme measures families are forced to take to meet the faction’s demands. “Some families are removing gold earrings from their young daughters’ ears to give to the faction as part of the levies,” she said. “They’ve emptied the residents’ pockets. They are draining our blood and our children’s lives. We have nothing left to pay them. It’s either pay or face imprisonment, arrest, and beatings.”
In the village of Sanara, a relative of one of the victims recounted: “Other individuals were arrested along with my husband’s relative, including FakhriSheikho Rashid, Abdo Kamal Kani, and Abdo Haqli.”
In Kerzeyhel village, located in the Sherawa district and under the same faction’s control, a $40 levy was imposed on every family following the discovery of a displaced man’s body under mysterious circumstances in a local field.
Special sources identified several individuals complicit in these human rights violations, including Fadi Abu Malik, brother of Mohammed Jassem(Abu Amsha). Abu Malik reportedly oversees the enforcement of the faction’s orders, including levies and arrests, particularly in the village of Kakhra (Yakhour). To evade accountability, faction members often operate under aliases like Abu Yazanand Abu Mus‘ab, further complicating efforts to expose their identities.
Women as targets of repression
When villagers failed to meet the exorbitant levies, faction members escalated their threats by targeting women. Fatima Mohammed (a pseudonym) shared her account with Lelun: “Faction members approached the men in the village and threatened them, saying they must pay the amounts owed or the women would be arrested,” she said. “On December 22, 2024, the faction detained four women from the village of Marwaniyah, including a 60-year-old elderly woman.”
These testimonies expose the al-Amshat’s systematic use of financial extortion, physical abuse, and gender-based threats to maintain control over Afrin’s residents, leaving them in a state of constant fear and destitution.
Forced displacement due to financial strain
Amid escalating threats and a wave of arrests targeting civilians, families from several villages under the control of the al-Amshat have been forced to flee their homes. Special sources from villages such as Kakhra, Sanara, Anqalah, Heikjeh, and Marwaniyahconfirmed to Lelun that entire families have abandoned their homes, driven by the inability to pay exorbitant levies and the fear of detention.
Citizen Safar al-Ali was compelled to flee after the faction imposed a $15,000 levy on him. When he failed to comply, the faction members confiscated his flock of sheep and donkey. Attempts by his daughter to intervene were met with threats at gunpoint. Safar’s son, Ibrahim al-Ali, also fled the area to join his father. Similarly, Qazqali Sheikho and Hussein Dalo were each subjected to levies exceeding $15,000, forcing them to leave their homes.
Reports and interviews conducted by Lelun researchers with witnesses and local sources reveal a pattern of escalating violations in areas under al-Amshat’s control. These include imposing unaffordable financial levies on residents, conducting widespread arrests of civilians, and demanding exorbitant ransoms for detainees’ release.
A humanitarian crisis without solutions
The documented testimonies reveal a severe deterioration in humanitarian conditions for residents in these areas. Ongoing abuses, economic exploitation, and the absence of legal recourse or security guarantees have driven many to abandon their villages in search of safety, further exacerbating their economic and social hardships.
This worsening crisis underscores the urgent need for international intervention. Without immediate action, these violations will continue unchecked, deepening the suffering of affected communities. The report calls for holding perpetrators of human rights violations responsible for their actions, providing redress and support for victims of these abuses, and ensuring security and basic rights for residents living under oppressive conditions.
The plight of Afrin’s residents under al-Amshat control demands attention and action from the international community to halt the cycle of violations and restore hope for the region’s inhabitants.