Lelun Afrin
Systematic human rights violations against the indigenous population of Afrin, located in northwestern Syria, continue to intensify. These abuses coincide with significant political developments in Syria, including the declared “fall of the previous regime,” the release of detainees from government prisons, and the restructuring of military factions, with members of the “Syrian National Army” being incorporated into the newly formed “New Syrian Army” under the interim government in Damascus.
The region is experiencing a surge in kidnappings, assaults, arbitrary detentions, and theft, exacerbated by the failure of local security forces to uphold accountability. This report, compiled by Lelun team, documents multiple cases of human rights violations resulting from the deteriorating security situation. It is based on firsthand testimonies from victims, witnesses, and reliable sources, highlighting the severe impact of these violations on civilians—particularly women, children, and the elderly.
Security Chaos and Media Misinformation
On February 9, 2025, Khayriya Mousa, a 43-year-old woman of Baadinavillage in the Maabatli district, was abducted by an unidentified masked group while on her way to the city center market.
In the aftermath of her disappearance, certain local media outlets denied reports of her abduction, instead falsely claiming that Khayriya had voluntarily traveled to Damascus to obtain a passport and reunite with her family in Turkey. These outlets further alleged that her departure was prompted by a domestic dispute with her husband and children.
Ten days later, on February 19, Khayriya managed to contact her husband, confirming that she had indeed been kidnapped. She reported that her captors had stolen all her money and gold before abandoning her on a roadside near Sarmada, in Idlib province.
A relative of the victim, Samia Hassan (a pseudonym), recounted the incident to a Lelun: “On the afternoon of February 9, Khayriya left for Afrin’s city center to purchase gold jewelry. She was carrying additional money beyond the amount needed for the jewelry. When she failed to return home, her family made desperate attempts to reach her. Meanwhile, misleading information began circulating, claiming that she had willingly traveled to Damascus due to family conflicts and was preparing to relocate to Turkey.”
Samia continued: “After ten days, Khayriya’s children received a call from her. She was in Sarmada, Idlib, and had been robbed of all her belongings, including her gold and the money she had with her at the time of the abduction.”
Samia also revealed that Khayriya had been preparing for her daughter’s wedding, which was scheduled just two days after the incident.
In another alarming incident, a group of 17 local workers fell victim to an armed robbery while returning home to their village, Maamel Ushaghi, in the Rajo district.
According to exclusive sources interviewed by a Lelun team, the robbery took place on the evening of February 27, 2025. A four-member masked group ambushed the workers as they made their way back from their jobs at sewing workshops in Afrin’s city center, where they had just received their weekly wages.
As the workers approached a makeshift checkpoint between the villages of Korkan Tahtani and MaamelUshaghi, they were stopped at gunpoint. The armed assailants forcibly seized their money and mobile phones before fleeing the scene.
Repercussions of Arbitrary Detention
In another tragic incident involving the family of a detainee, six-year-old Jaylan Adnan Isso went missing for three days after leaving her home while unattended. Her mother had briefly stepped out to gather firewood—a necessity driven by the family’s dire economic circumstances,exacerbated by the arrest of Jaylan’s father six months earlier. He had been detained by the Military Police on charges of alleged cooperation with the previous local Kurdish administration.
A video circulated on social media featured an interview with the child’s mother, Zainab Sheikh Sadiq, a resident of Maarata village in Afrin. In the footage, she explained that she had left the house to collect firewood for heating, as financial hardship had left the family unable to afford basic necessities. This, she said, ultimately led to her daughter’s temporary disappearance. She attributed their suffering to her husband’s arbitrary detention and called for his release, stressing that his absence had profoundly impacted their financial and emotional stability.
Escalation of Attacks and a Pregnant Woman’s Miscarriage
Recent months have seen a sharp rise in human rights violations by armed groups, including retaliatory arrests, physical assaults, and theft. Among these incidents, a particularly harrowing case involved a pregnant woman who suffered a miscarriage due to violent abuse.
On January 20, 2025, an armed group stormed the house of a resident in Khirbet Suluk, a village in the Rajodistrict, under the pretext of searching for weapons.
Social media and activist platforms later shared a video footage recorded by the victim, Nazmi Mohammed Kaark, in which he recounted the details of the attack. He described how the assailants beat him with the butt of a rifle and ransacked his house, causing extensive damage.
He further revealed that his wife, who was five months pregnant, endured severe physical assault at the hands of the intruders. As a result of the brutal attack, she suffered a miscarriage.
In a similar incident on February 12, 2025, an elderly man was subjected to violence and robbery in his home. Mohammed Hanif Ahmed Abdo, a 64-year-old resident of Ain Dara, near Afrin’s city center, was attacked by an armed group in the middle of the night.
Saleh Ahmed (a pseudonym), a relative of the victim, shared details of the assault with the Lelun team: “At around 1:00 AM, two armed men broke into Hanif Abdo’s house in Ain Dara. They viciously beat both him and his wife, leaving them with facial and hand injuries. The assailants then tied the couple up, stole approximately $300 and 2,000 Turkish lira, vandalized the furniture, and ransacked the house. In a final act of cruelty, they taunted the elderly victims by eating food from their kitchen while they watched helplessly.”
Another violent attack targeted 40-year-old Rizgar Maamo, a resident of Hassan Dera village in the Bulbul district. He was assaulted by a displaced individual from a neighboring village while collecting firewood in Hawar Mountain early in the morning.
A video footage shared by an activist documented the attack, in which Rizgar recounted: “On the morning of the incident, I was heading to HawarMountain when a fight broke out between my dog and a dog belonging to a displaced shepherd from our village. As I attempted to separate them, I moved a child who was tending to the flock out of harm’s way. The child then ran home and told his mother that I had attacked him. His mother, in turn, informed his father, a man in his fifties. Shortly after, the father attacked me with a metal rod, striking me on the head. I lost consciousness and only regained it when my cousin was rushing me to the hospital.”
According to exclusive sources, RizgarMaamo suffered a skull hemorrhage as a result of the assault and required urgent hospitalization at the Syrian Specialist Hospital in Afrin. Witnesses from the village confirmed that the perpetrator fled the scene and has not been seen since.
Arrests in Retaliation for Complaints
Lelun team has documented the arrest of 62-year-old Abdelqader Othman Sheikh Ali, a resident of Midankivillage in the Sharran district. He was detained by members of Hayat Tahriral-Sham (HTS), now operating under the current Interim Government, after seeking the return of his belongings and livestock from an individual who had occupied his home during his forced displacement from Afrin. Instead of complying, the occupant filed a lawsuit against him, accusing him of vandalizing the property.
Zakaria Omar (a pseudonym), a relative of the victim, shared details of the arrest with Lelun: “After we left Shahba region [a number of villages in the north of Aleppo] following the second displacement due to the Operation Dawn of Freedom by the Syrian National Army, my uncle, Abdelqader Othman, decided to return to his birthplace. He hoped to reclaim what remained of his belongings and livestock from the abandoned house. However, when he arrived, the current occupant, Hussein Jindo, refused to return anything. Unable to retrieve his possessions due to Jindo’s ties with factions of the Syrian National Army, Uncle Abdelqader made multiple attempts—five in total—to negotiate their return. When these efforts failed, he turned to the former HTS, now operating as the Interim Government, to intervene. Eventually, he was able to recover some of his belongings and livestock.”
Zakaria continued describing what happened next: “On January 18, 2025, as Uncle Abdelqader arrived at the Al-Ahdath roundabout [north of Aleppo], Hussein Jindo filed a lawsuit against him, accusing him of vandalizing the house. As a result, members of the current government’s public security forces detained him at the roundabout and transferred him to Hraytan Prison for investigation, where he was held for ten days before being referred to the Sarmada Court in Idlib province.
When his son visited him on the scheduled trial date, the judge informed him that the hearing had been postponed due to the plaintiff’s absence. Over the following weeks, his son made four more attempts to attend the hearing in Sarmada, only to be told each time that the trial had been postponed again for the same reason.”
Zakaria concluded: “Since early February, we have received no contact from or information about him.”
Legal Analysis
This report underscores the gravity of the human rights violations occurring in Afrin, which contradict both local and international legal standards, particularly those aimed at protecting civilians in conflict zones. The violations outlined in this report can be analyzed through the following legal frameworks:
Legal responsibility for abduction and arbitrary detention
Physical assaults and violations against women and children
Looting, plundering, and deliberate destruction of property
Lack of accountability and local authorities’ complicity
Role of the international community and accountability mechanisms
Conclusion
This report, prepared by Lelun team, documents serious human rights violations occurring in the Syrian region of Afrin, which constitute blatant breaches of both national laws and international standards, particularly those aimed at protecting civilians in conflict zones.
The systematic nature of these violations stands in direct contradiction to the fundamental principles of international humanitarian law and human rights conventions.
The persistence of these violations, compounded by the absence of effective accountability mechanisms, reflects a deteriorating security situation and highlights the urgent need for international intervention to safeguard civilian rights. The international community—encompassing the United Nations, human rights organizations, and local advocacy groups—must exert pressure on the ruling authorities to adhere to international law and bring an end to these abuses.
Documenting these crimes and collecting evidence is a critical step toward ensuring that perpetrators are held accountable and do not escape justice. Moreover, this evidence forms the foundation for future transitional justice efforts that can restore victims’ rights and contribute to the broader goal of reconciliation.
The long-term solution lies in the establishment of genuine legal accountability, the cessation of ongoing war crimes and human rights violations, and the restoration of justice and stability in the region.