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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“Lelun” Report On Human Rights Violations In The Afrin Region During August 2023

Violations in August 2023 in the Afrin region - Picture source: from the archive

The Afrin region witnessed continued violations by armed factions affiliated with the Syrian National Army against indigenous residents and those returning to their villages and cities from displacement places, as they demanded from some returnees to pay financial ransoms ranging from 200 to 5000 US dollars per person, according to the charge against him/her, under the pretext of regulating their …

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Motivated by poverty: Afrin’s displaced people return to Afrin and are forced to pay sums to the factions

Al-Maabatli town - Afrin. Image source: “Lelun”

As a result of the worsening cases of extreme poverty in displacement places, indigenous families were recently forced to return to their villages and homes in Afrin region, most of whom are from Aleppo, Lebanon, and Shahba areas. According to what some of people returning to the region told Lelun, the reason is due to the poor economic conditions, the …

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Afrin: Victims’ families waive their right to claim against the armed groups’ violations

One of the graves of the village of Dimelia that was destroyed - Image source: Exclusive to “Lelun”

Since the “Olive Branch” operation started in 2018, Afrin region has been subjected to a series of systematic violations, for several reasons, including those that occur deliberately and target the indigenous population, and others as a result of the security chaos. Many people refrain from claiming their rights or filing complaints after they have been subjected to any violations, for …

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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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Al-Amshat faction imposes fines and taxes on the returnees to Afrin

Al-Amshat faction imposes fines and taxes on the returnees to Afrin

The district of Sheikh Al-Hadid / Shiya and villages under the control of Sultan Suleiman Shah’s faction are witnessing popular discontent, due to the imposing of financial fines and taxes on the people with various pretexts, one of which amounted to about forty thousand dollars on the entire population of the village. In the details, private local sources confirmed to …

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Afrin: A new attack on a member of the “Peshmerg” family by gunmen

The child "Nazmi" after being assaulted by gunmen - Photo source: exclusive to "Lêlûn"

Violations against the “Peshmerg” family did not stop at the “Newroz 2023” crime in Jenderees, in which four young Kurds from one family were killed by “Sharqiya Army” faction. Rather, these violations continued to include repeated threats and attempts to target family’s members. The latest of which was the attack on grandson of the family by an armed group believed …

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