“Lelun”s report about human rights violations in the Afrin region during December 2023

The pace of human rights violations in the Afrin region at the hands of armed factions affiliated with the Syrian National Army did not diminish by the end of 2023. Rather, these violations diversified and focused on the taxes imposed on olive harvests. The year ended with the arrest and torture of harvest owners.

The areas under the control of the Sultan Suleiman Shah faction, known as Al-Amshat, in the Afrin region witnessed widespread violations, amounting to a noticeable increase over other areas under the control of the National Army factions, according to what Lelun researchers monitored the ongoing violations in the region during the month of December 2023.

The faction’s violations included cases of arrest and torture of indigenous civilians, most of whom were elderly, and the collection of previously imposed taxes, which they had given people to pay until the end of 2023, in addition to intimidation campaigns to force people to pay taxes, In addition to demolishing and bulldozing civilian homes.

Most of the arrests took place in the Afrin region on charges of dealing with the Autonomous Administration. While in the months of agricultural seasons, especially in cases of tax collection, the charge was often the failure or delay in paying the taxes imposed by the armed faction on the people, which were exorbitant and exceeded the ability of most of the indigenous people to pay their payments, which in some cases exceeded 50,000$ made them vulnerable to violations.

Sources reported to “Lelun” that the violations of the aforementioned faction (Al-Amshat) included indigenous people who were late in paying taxes or who refused to pay them, because they were unable to pay the full amount imposed.

Through communicating with families and relatives of victims of violations and monitoring and following up on open-source news sites, the “Lelun”s team was able to confirm the occurring of the violations included in the report.

During the month of December 2023, “Lelun” was able, after monitoring and follow-up, to document the following cases of violations, which included:

(12) Cases of civilians arrest, (12) Cases of cutting down fruit trees, (6) Cases of imposing taxes on agricultural seasons, (4) Cases of torture, (3) Cases of demolition and bulldozing of homes, (2) cases of paying of fines or financial ransoms, (1) A case of intimidation and threats to the people, (1) A case of seizing private property.

“Lelun” was also able to count the names of the parties and factions involved in the violations, as follows:

(23) Cases of violations by the Sultan Suleiman Shah Brigade (Al-Amshat), (7) cases by the Hamza Division (Al-Hamzat), (4) cases by the Sultan Murad Brigade, (4) cases by Turkish Intelligence, (2) cases by the Military Police, (1) a case by the Civilian Police.

The multiple and varied violations that occurred in the Afrin region during the month of December 2023, as documented by the “Lelun Association For Victims,” are as follows:

First: Cases of arrest:

• On 1^st December 2023, the Sultan Suleiman Shah (Al-Amshat) faction arrested the citizen “Muhammad Mustafa Hamoud” from the Sheikh Al-Hadid / Shia district, on the grounds that he published a video clip in which he expressed his dissatisfaction with the cases of cutting and crushing olive trees by gunmen after stealing the crop in Jenderes district. Broken olive tree branches appeared in the video. The citizen “Muhammad” was taken to the headquarters of the aforementioned faction in Sheikh al-Hadid/Shia district, and he was released after paying a fine.
• In early December 2023, the Al-Hamza Division (Al-Hamzat) faction arrested the citizen “Salah Zeino”, 47 years old, from the village of Dargray – Maabatli/Mobata district, on charges of what is called “similarity to a security name,” as he is prohibited from being allowed to do so visits and any kind of communication.
• On 5^th December 2023, Turkish intelligence arrested the 53-year-old citizen “Adnan Muhammad Alo” on charges of dealing with the Autonomous Administration, after his return from the areas of forced displacement “Fafin” in the Shahba area to the Jenderes district, and he was released after two days, he was detained after paying a ransom.
• On 12^th December 2023, the Civil Police arrested the citizen “Rashid Ali Ali” on charges of performing compulsory Military Service during the previous period of Autonomous Administration. It is noteworthy that the person called Rashid is a resident of the village of Baadina, married and the father of an infant. He was transferred to Marata Prison and is still under arrest.
• On 15^th December 2023, the Military Police arrested the citizen “Abdul Rahman Haske”, 32 years old, from the village of “Miskah” in the Jenderes district, on charges of dealing with the former Autonomous Administration.
• In mid-December 2023, the Military Police arrested the citizen “Dalil Mustafa”, 26 years old, from the village of Marata in the center of the Afrin region, after his return from the city of Qamishli. It is noteworthy that the citizen “Dalil” is married and has two children.
• On 19^th December 2023, Turkish Intelligence arrested two citizens from “Zaytunakeh” village in the Sharan/Shara district, without clear reasons. They are “Sheikh Saeed Zadeh”, 59 years old and his citizen relative, “Najla Hanan Sheikh Ismail Zade”, the 36-year-old. It is noteworthy that “Sheikh Saeed Zadeh” is a member of the local council in the Sharan/Shara district.
• On 26^th December 2023, the citizen “Abdo Kamal Kena” was beaten by the Sultan Suleiman Shah faction (Al-Amshat) at his workplace in front of everyone due to his inability to pay the tax imposed on him, amounting13,700$, and they gave him one day to pay the amount mentioned. He was arrested the next morning because he was unable to pay the tax.
• On 30^th December 2023, the Sultan Suleiman Shah faction (Al-Amshat) arrested the 60-year-old citizen “Zaki Jounieh” in the Qarmetlaq village in the Sheikh Al-Hadid/Shia district, where he was severely beaten during the arrest, due to his inability to pay the tax imposed on his olive press to 12,000$.
• On 31^st December 2023, the Sultan Suleiman Shah (Al-Amshat) faction arrested the 60-year-old citizen, “Muhammad Ezzat,” from the “Anqala” village in the Sheikh Al-Hadid/Shia district, due to his inability to pay the tax imposed on him by the faction, which amounted to 10,000$. He was released after paying the required amount and he was subjected to severe beatings while he was in prison. It is noteworthy that the citizen “Muhammad” is the owner of an olive press in the village.
• On 31^st December 2023, the Sultan Suleiman Shah faction (Al-Amshat) arrested the young citizen “Gandi Sobhi Jaro” from the Chaqalo village in the Sheikh Al-Hadid district / Shia, due to his failure to pay the tax imposed on his property, which was estimated at 10,000$. He was released the next day after being subjected to torture and the car he was traveling in, which belonged to one of his relatives, was seized.

 Second – Imposing taxes and financial deductions:

• In mid-December 2023, the faction of Sultan Suleiman Shah (Al-Amshat) imposed a tax of 57,000$ on the citizen “Zaim Tuba” in the “Anqala” village in the Sheikh Al-Hadid/Shia district. It is mentioned that the so-called Zaim Touba is the owner of an olive press and manages the properties of his expatriate brothers.
• In late December 2023, the Sultan Suleiman faction (Al-Amshat) imposed a tax of 600$ on the citizen “Farzat Horo” in the Sheikh Al-Hadid/Shia district due to the citizen’s inability to pay the amount, he is poor and live in bad financial conditions, “Farzat” was forced to borrow the amount from some of his relatives to pay the tax.

 Third – cutting trees:

• On 1^st December 2023, a number of members of the “Sultan Murad Brigade” controlling the Maydanki town in Sharan district, cut off the main branches of more than 100 olive trees, after stealing their olives from fields owned by each of the citizens: Nuori Othman, Malek Haji Muhammad, Malak Amir.
• On 6^th December 2023, 39 olive trees belonging to “Mr. Abdul Rahman Hassan Takka” were cut down from the “Kafardale Fawqani” village in the Jenderes district, which is under the control of the Hamza Division (Al-Hamzat) faction.
• On 7^th December 2023, 20 olive trees were cut down, which owned by the citizen “Muhammad Abdo” a resident of “Kafardale Fawqani” village in the Jenderes district, which is under the control of the Hamza Division (Al-Hamzat) faction.
• On 10^th December 2023, the Sultan Suleiman Shah faction (Al-Amshat) cut down 200 olive trees and demolished three civilian homes in the Sheikh Al-Hadid/Shia district, owned by the following citizens: 50 trees belonging to Mustafa Bozak Muhammad, 150 olive trees belonging to Muhammad Ali Bozak, and a number of grape trees were planted among them, in addition to the demolition of the homes of the following: Farid Mustafa Muhammad Bozak, Mustafa Muhammad Bozak, and Muhammad Ali Muhammad Bozak, in order to turn the place into a garage or car showroom.
• On 12^th December 2023, 31 olive trees were cut down in the “Kafarshil” village in the center of Afrin city, which is controlled by the Hamza Division (“Al-Hamzat”) faction, owned by the three brothers: AbdullAziz Jimo 22 trees, Ayoub Jimo 5 trees, Bashir Jimo 4 trees.
• On 13^th December 2023, 25 olive trees were cut down east of Abdul Rahman’s cemetery in the village of “Faqiran/Faqira” in the Jenderes district, owned by the citizen “Khalil Khalaf,” which is under the control of the Hamza Division (Al-Hamzat) faction.
• On 27^th December 2023, the citizen “Muhammad Rashid Alo” from the “Kharabat Sharan” village in the Sharan district in the Afrin region lost his life, after hearing the news that his trees being cut down. He suffered a forced stroke and was subsequently transferred to Azaz Hospital. Members of the Sultan Murad faction, led by “Araba Idrissi,” cut down 40 olive trees belonging to “Mohamed Rashid Alo” for firewood.

 Fourth – Other violations:

● On 29^th December 2023, members of the Sultan Suleiman Shah faction (Al-Amshat) in the evening knocked on the residents’ doors in Sanara village in the Sheikh Al-Hadid/Shia district, heavily armed, with the aim of intimidating them into paying the