LELUN’S REPORT ON HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS IN THE AFRIN REGION DURING NOVEMBER 2023

The areas under control of the armed factions of the Syrian National Army loyal to Turkey are witnessing continuous and ongoing violations in addition they restrict the indigenous population. Turkish intelligence is also participating in increasing the pace of ongoing violations, especially those occurring in the Afrin region since its occupation in 2018 until now.

Violations were numerous this month, including arrests, imposing exorbitant taxes on agricultural crops, demanding financial ransoms in exchange for the release of detainees, in addition to threatening citizens with the aim of sowing fear and intimidation among the indigenous people of the region.

By communicating with its various sources through its researchers and field researchers, “Lelun” was able to document multiple types of violations that occurred in various places in the Afrin region. But as a result of the people’s fear of the factions due to their repeated threats that have increased recently, some of them did not dare to provide more information about violations that remained incomplete in detail were therefore not included in the report.

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

(14) cases of arrest, (9) cases of imposing financial taxes and ransom on indigenous people, (7) cases of other violations, which included not handing over a house to its families, cutting down trees, stealing olives, and preventing the erection of a mourning tent in front of its owner’s house, which was seized by an armed faction.

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

(3) cases of violation by the Civil Police, (2) cases of Suquor al-Shamal, (3) cases of Turkish Intelligence, (2) cases of Free Police (Political Security), (5) cases Military Police, (2) cases of Faylaq al-Sham, (1) case of Suleiman Shah (Al-Amshat), (4)  cases of the Hamza Division (Al-Hamzat), (1) case of the 112 Division, (1) case of Ahrar Al-Sham, (1) case of a civilian supported by armed factions.

The violations that occurred in Afrin region during November 2023, as documented by the “Lelun Association For Victims,” are as follows:

First – Arrest:

• On 1^st November 2023, Sultana Samir Abdo, 25 years old, was arrested in Azaz city by the “Civil Police” of the Syrian National Army while she was returning from Aleppo in order to cross to Turkey and from there to Germany. She was transferred from Azaz to Afrin. She is now being held by the Military Police in Raju, as her family confirmed. It is noteworthy that the young woman, “Sultana Abdo,” from the Yazidi component, comes from the village of “Bafelion” in the Sharan district of Afrin countryside. Though “Sultana” had previously been arrested at the beginning of her entry into Afrin nearly two months ago in the Bulbul district, and remained for three days until her family paid a ransom of 500$ and she was released and the second time while she was trying to cross the border into Turkey.
• On 3^rd November 2023, a patrol from the “Suquor al-Shamal” faction, which controls the village of “Gamruk” in the Maabatli district, arrested the citizen “Manan Sami Oso,” 40 years old, from his home in the village on charges of working for the Autonomous Administration institutions in Shahba, because the citizen had come from the Shahba areas, where he was residing in the town of Tal Rifaat. Two days later, he was handed over to the Civil Police in Maabatli, and he is still arrested.
• On Sunday 5^th November 2023, a patrol of the “Turkish Intelligence” accompanied by the “Free Police” (Political Security) in the town of Al-Maabatli arrested the citizen “Muhammad Arif Battal”, 68 years old, from the village of “Arab Oshaghi” on charges of working within the commune during ruling of the former Autonomous Administration, where he was taken to the “Intelligence” center in the Maabatli district and paid a financial ransom of 2,000$ under the pretext of “settling the situation,” but he is still arrested.
• On 6^th November 2023, the “Military Police” arrested the citizen “Muhammad Abdo Abdo” from his home in the village of “Gamruk” in the Maabatli district, after his return from the displacement areas in the Shahba camp in the northern countryside of Aleppo, on charges of going on guard shifts during the Autonomous Administration period.
• On 6^th November 2023, a police patrol from the “Military Police” in Raju district raided the house of Mr. “Ahmed Hanif Khashman” in the village of “Gauanda-Maydan” in Raju district. His phone was confiscated and he was prevented from communicating with his family. He was transferred to a prison in the village of “Maydan-Akbis” in the Raju district, and his fate remains unknown.
• On 9^th November 2023, a Military Police patrol headed to the village of “Gamruk” in the Maabatli/Mobato district, and arrested three Kurdish citizens from their homes on charges of going out on guard shifts during the rule of the previous Autonomous Administration. They are all of:
• Ahmed Rashid Hamdoush, his mother Zahida, 45 years old.
• Manan Sami Oso, his mother Nabiha, 40 years old.
• Suleiman Muhammad Alloush, his mother is Sadiqa, 65 years old. The three citizens are still under arrest and their fate is unknown. Citizen Ahmed Hamdoush paid 300$ and he must pay another 300$ until he is released.
• On 11^th November 2023, the militants of the “Sham Legion” faction controlling Gaza/Maydan village in the Raju district arrested the child, “Rohat Hussein,” who was beaten and tortured then he was transferred to the Marateh Central Prison in Afrin city.
• On 14^th November 2023, the Military Police arrested Mr. Rezan Muhammad Hasso in Hassandera village in the Bulbul district of Afrin region after his return from Aleppo to his village, on charges of dealing with the Autonomous Administration and he was taken to an unknown destination.
• On 25^th November 2023, Turkish Intelligence, accompanied by the Military Police, arrested the young man, Muhammad Hassan Muhammad, 30 years old, from his home in the village of Tel Sluor in the Jenderes district. He was forced to pay an amount of 1,500 $ in exchange for settling his situation. It is noteworthy that “Muhammad Hassan Muhammad” returned in early November 2023 to his village, coming from the city of Aleppo and checked with the local council for more details.
• On Monday 27^th November 2023, “Turkish Intelligence” accompanied by the “Free Police” (Political Security) arrested three Kurdish young men from the village of “Ain al-Hajar Saghir” and “Ain al-Hajar Kabir” in the Maabatli/Mobato district on charges of serving with the former Autonomous Administration. The three citizens are:
• Alloush Dayan Alloush, 33 years old, from Ain Al-Hajar Al-Saghir.
• Bashar Subhi Othman, 26 years old, from Ain Al-Hajar Al-Saghir.
• Muhammad Fayiq Sheikho, 42 years old, from the village of Ain al-Hajar al-Kabir. They were taken to the Turkish intelligence headquarters in the town of Maabatli/Mobato, and their fate remains unknown.
• On 28^th November 2023, the “Civil Police” in Afrin arrested and detained the citizen “Farhad Zaki Hamkaruo”, 34 years old, from “Kurzaile” village follows the center city, and who resides in “Ain Dara” village. “Hamkaru” was arrested on charges of performing compulsory service under the former Autonomous Administration. He was imprisoned for eight days and forced to pay 500$ for his release. He was released on 5^th December 2023 after paying the aforementioned amount.

Second – Imposing taxes and royalties:

• In early November 2023, the “Ahrar al-Sham” faction, which controls “Tel Siluor” village in the Jenderes district, imposed 65 tins of oil as royalties on the villagers, and this was a punishment in retaliation for the complaints they had filed about cases of theft that had occurred in their village.

• On 6^th November 2023, the “Suleiman Shah” faction (Al-Amshat) imposed a tax of 8,000$ on the olive harvest belonging to a sixty-year-old woman in the village of Sanara called “Zalukh Rashid Zalkha,” and gave her a week to pay the amount. After hearing the news, Zaloukh suffered a stroke and was taken to the hospital. It is noteworthy that the victim owned many farms and trees, but she distributed them to her relatives, and she had some expatriate property, so this heavy tax was imposed.

• In mid-November 2023, a settler supported by the armed factions imposed a sum of three thousand dollars on the citizen “Hayder Muosa,” from the village of “Maydana” in the Raju district in Afrin countryside, in exchange for handing over his house, which is located in the vicinity of the cultural center in Afrin city after citizen Hayder Muosa recently returned to his hometown from areas of forced displacement. When he demanded his house, the settler stipulated that he pay the amount under the pretext that the house had been damaged during the earthquake of last 6^th February and that he had restored it. Note that the restoration operations were carried out by the Turkish organization “Al-Shafaq”.

Third – Other violations:

• On 6^th November 2023, Mrs. “Malak Ibo,” 62 years old, from “Ali Jaro” village in the Bulbul district, died as a result of being beaten by masked gunmen suspected of having ties to the “Suquor al-Shamal” faction, which in 2018 seized her house and her olive field. While she was staying in one of her relatives homes in the village, the faction refused to vacate the house until she paid an amount of (10,000) dollars, but when she demanded her house and field again, the economic official in “Suquor Al-Shamal” called “Asmar” insulted her and expelled her threatened by arresting and killing her if she approached her home again. Before her death, the victim, “Malak Ibo,” had recommended that they enter her home after her death and then bury her. The villagers and relatives carried out her will with great determination, despite the opposition of the faction.

• During the days of 23, 24, 25 November 2023, members of the “Hamza Division” faction cut down about 75 olive trees in the village of “Faqiran” in the Jenderes district, which is owned by the following people:
• Aziz Rashid: 24 olive trees
• Youssef Rashid: 25 olive trees
• Dashti Majeed: 10 olive trees
• Vindar Hassan Khalaf: 16 olive trees. Note that the village is under the control of the “Hamzat” faction, and the trees that were cut down are fruitful and are at least fifty years old. The “Al-Hamzat” faction has repeatedly cut down olive trees for the purpose of trading in firewood and heating.

• On 26^th November 2023, gunmen from the “Sham Legion” faction of the Syrian National Army stole 15 sacks of olives, in addition to a motorcycle from the home of the citizen “Youssef Ismail Kalash,” a resident of the “Algia” village in the Sharan district. It is noteworthy that the motorbike was sold in the market of Afrin, where the citizen filed a complaint with the competent authorities, but without any deterrence.
• On 8^th November 2023, the “112 Division” faction of the Syrian National Army, led by “Osama Rahhal,” nicknamed “Abu Hassan Obama,” and his assistant, “Abdul Karim Jamal Qassoum,” were prevented from erecting the mourning tent for the elderly man, “Muhammad Habash,”, 98 years old, nicknamed (Muhammad Touba), from the town of “Baadnali/Baadina” in Raju district in front of his seized house. They threatened to arrest him and pay a ransom if they insisted on setting up the tent, so his relatives decided to set up the mourning tent next to the village cemetery.