Press releases

158 Syrian Organizations Condemn the Turkish Targeting of Civilian Infrastructure in North and East Syria

The Syrian city of Qamishli during its bombing by Türkiye

Coinciding with Christmas and New Year celebrations, as well as the war in Gaza, the areas of north and east Syria, inhabited by diverse ethnic and religious groups, are witnessing destructive Turkish military escalation. This escalation includes targeting vital infrastructure, oil and energy sources, and essential facilities necessary for the survival of the civilian population, including Kurds, Arabs, Assyrians, and …

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The Lelun Association For Victims’ Speech at the Forum on Minority Issues in Geneva in its sixteenth session

United Nations Headquarters in Geneva - Image source: exclusive to “Lelun”

My name is “Kawa Omar” from Afrin; the Kurdish region in northern Syria and I speak on behalf of the “Lelun Association For Victims”. Here, from this platform, I would like to convey to you the suffering of our people in the Afrin region, which Turkey has occupied since March 2018. Afrin’s indigenous Kurdish population has suffered from widespread violations …

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Recommendations to the Terms of References of the UN Independent Institution on Missing Persons in the Syrian Arab Republic

On June 29, 2023, the United Nations General Assembly adopted Resolution 301/77, which established the “Independent Institution for Missing Persons” and was delegated the task of “to clarify the fate and whereabouts of all missing persons in the Syrian Arab Republic and to provide adequate support to victims, survivors and the families of those missing, in close cooperation and complementarity …

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85 Syrian Organizations Welcome the U.S. Treasury’s Sanctions against Two Syria-Based Armed Groups and Commanders

The undersigned Syrian organizations welcome the decision of the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) of 17 August 2023 to designate the two Syrian armed groups, the Suleiman Shah Brigade (known as al-Amshat) and the Hamza Division (known as al-Hamzat). The two groups are connected with serious human rights violations against the Kurdish community in the Afrin …

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107 Syrian Organizations Call on the EU to Promote Inclusive Approach to Syrian Issues

Photo of STJ during the opening speech of the Seventh Brussels Conference 2023.

The European Union organized a Seventh Brussels Conference on ‘Supporting the future of Syria and the region’ on 14 and 15 June 2023, in Brussels. The conference addressed critical humanitarian and resilience issues affecting Syrians in Syria and neighboring countries. Syrian participants– as individuals and organizations – and those who failed to attend due to logistical difficulties were looking forward …

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Syria/Afrin: 155 Syrian Organizations Condemn the Killing of Kurdish Civilians on the Eve of Celebrating Newroz

Syrian Arabs and Kurds protest in Jindires town in the Afrin region. Holding the slogan "5 years of injustice, enough!", the protestors condemned the killing of 4 civilian Kurds for celebrating Newroz/Nawroz. Credit: Photojournalist Ammar al-Zeer.

On the eve of Newroz, corresponding to March 20, 2023, some fighters of Jaysh al-Sharqiya Faction/The Construction and Liberation Movement, affiliated with the Turkish-backed opposition Syrian National Army (SNA), killed four unarmed Kurdish civilians in Jindires city in Afrin countryside, northwestern Syria, on the backdrop of celebrating Newroz Day and lighting its bonfire; one of the most essential rituals adopted …

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Press Release: Activists Launch Lêlûn Association for Victims in Afrin

We are a group of activists from the Afrin region. We decided to establish the Lêlûn  Association for Victims to bring all victims from Afrin together and support them. We also seek to coordinate redress and justice efforts with other victim associations across Syria. Our objectives are justice and restoring rights to their owners. Therefore, we intend to turn Lêlûn …

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