22. November 2024                                                   

Diese Anfragebeantwortung wurde für die Veröffentlichung auf ecoi.net abgeändert.

Kurzbeschreibungen zu den in dieser Anfragebeantwortung verwendeten Quellen sowie Ausschnitte mit Informationen aus diesen Quellen finden Sie im Anhang.

Bitte beachten Sie, dass die folgende Anfragebeantwortung nur Quellen beinhaltet, die spezifisch Informationen zu Kurd·innen in den türkisch kontrollierten Gebieten enthalten. Quellen, die allgemeine Informationen zu diesen Gebieten wiedergeben, Kurd·innen jedoch nicht spezifisch nennen, sondern nur allgemein von „der Bevölkerung“ sprechen, sind nicht berücksichtigt.

Human Rights Watch (HRW) veröffentlicht im Februar 2022 einen Bericht über Menschenrechtsverletzungen und Straflosigkeit im türkisch besetzten Nordsyrien. HRW erklärt, dass laut Angaben informierter Quellen die Syrische Nationalarmee (SNA) zwar offiziell der syrischen Übergangsregierung (einem selbsternannten, international anerkannten Gremium mit Sitz in Azaz, das die syrische Opposition vertritt) unterstehe, faktisch jedoch den türkischen Streitkräften und Geheimdiensten unterstellt sei, ebenso wie militärische und zivile Polizeikräfte der Region. HRW habe keine veröffentlichten Richtlinien gefunden, die die Rolle der türkischen Behörden in der Kommandostruktur in den türkisch kontrollierten Gebieten Syriens darlegen würden. Laut HRW würden die türkischen Behörden die Volksverteidigungseinheit (YPG) und die Frauenverteidigungseinheit (YPJ), die größten Komponenten der kurdisch geführten Demokratischen Kräfte Syriens (SDF), mit der Arbeiterpartei Kurdistans (PKK), welche sie als Terrororganisation ansehen würden, gleichsetzen. Aus diesem Grund hätten Kurd·innen, die als loyal gegenüber der SDF angesehen würden, weil sie in der Vergangenheit in Gebieten unter SDF-Kontrolle gelebt und ihr Land bewirtschaftet hätten, die Hauptlast der dokumentierten Übergriffe getragen. Auch Araber·innen und Personen weiterer Ethnien, von denen angenommen werde, dass sie Verbindungen zur SDF oder der Autonomen Verwaltung Nordost-Syriens (AANES) hätten, seien ins Visier genommen worden (HRW, Februar 2024, S. 3). Laut HRW seien seit der Übernahme von Afrin im Jahr 2018 und Ras Al-Ayn im Oktober 2019 zahlreiche Menschen willkürlich festgenommen und inhaftiert worden, gewaltsam verschwunden, gefoltert und anderweitig misshandelt und unfairen Militärprozessen unterzogen worden (HRW, Februar 2024, S. 28).

Das Syria Justice and Accountability Centre (SJAC) schreibt im März 2024, dass willkürliche Inhaftierungen, Folter und Erpressungen (besonders in Ras Al-Ayn und Tell Abyad) 2023 ein zentraler Bestandteil der türkischen und SNA-Führung gewesen seien. Die Übergriffe hätten laut SJAC oft auf die kurdische Gemeinschaft abgezielt (SJAC, März 2024, p. 8).

Willkürliche Inhaftierungen

Ceasefire Centre for Civilian Rights und YASA berichten in ihrem Bericht über Menschenrechtsverletzungen in Afrin vom Mai 2024, dass seit dem vorherigen Bericht über die Lage in Afrin vom Jahr 2021 die Zahl der Inhaftierungen, Folterungen und des erzwungenen Verschwindenlassens zugenommen habe. Ein Großteil der Zivilbevölkerung in Afrin, insbesondere die kurdische Bevölkerung, lebe in ständiger Angst vor Gewalt, vor allem durch die von der Türkei unterstützte Syrische Nationalarmee (SNA). Eine Kultur der Straflosigkeit ermögliche häufige Übergriffe auf die lokale Bevölkerung. Vor allem kurdische Zivilist·innen würden unter dem Vorwand einer angeblichen Zugehörigkeit zur früheren kurdisch geführten Regierung willkürlich festgenommen (Ceasefire Centre for Civilan Rights und YASA, 14. Mai 2024, S. 2). Willkürliche Festnahmen und Inhaftierungen seien alltäglich für Zivilist·innen in Afrin und würden von verschiedenen Sicherheitskräften und bewaffneten Gruppierungen ausgehen. Sie würden insbesondere auf Kurd·innen abzielen, unabhängig von deren Alter, Geschlecht oder Beruf. Die Beschlagnahmung von Eigentum (weitere Informationen finden Sie unten) stehe im Zusammenhang mit den Festnahmen (Ceasefire Centre for Civilan Rights and YASA, 14. Mai 2024, S. 4).

Laut HRW würden festgenommenen Personen in Haftanstalten verschiedener Fraktionen in Afrin und Ras Al-Ayn für Zeiträume von drei Wochen bis über zwei Jahren festgehalten (HRW, Februar 2024, S. 32). Viele seien im Gegenzug zu Zahlungen freigelassen worden (HRW, Februar 2024, S. 31).

Das Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) berichtet, dass seit Beginn der türkischen Kontrolle Afrins bis Mitte März 2024 über 8.729 kurdische Zivilist·innen aus Afrin verhaftet worden seien, von denen 1.123 mit Stand März 2024 weiterhin inhaftiert seien. Die anderen seien freigelassen worden, nachdem die meisten von ihnen hohe Lösegeldzahlungen an die SNA geleistet hätten (SOHR, 17. März 2024).

Die Kurdische Demokratische Einheitspartei in Syrien berichtet auf ihrer Webseite im März 2024 von sechs Fällen willkürlicher Inhaftierungen von Kurd·innen innerhalb eines Monats (zwischen Anfang Februar und Anfang März 2024) durch den türkischen Geheimdienst und die Militärpolizei wegen Zugehörigkeit zur früheren Autonomieverwaltung (Yek.Dem, 12. März 2024).

Laut HRW gebe es zwar Zivilgerichte, Personen, denen vorgeworfen werde, kurdischen bewaffneten Gruppen anzugehören oder mit ihnen in Verbindung zu stehen, würden jedoch häufig von Militärgerichten verurteilt. Diesen mangle es an Unabhängigkeit. Richter würden dem militärischen Kommando und den Anweisungen ihrer Vorgesetzten unterliegen. Häftlingen werde ein Rechtsbeistand verweigert und erzwungene Geständnisse würden oft als einziges Beweismittel verwendet werden (HRW, Februar 2024, S. 42-43).

Folter, Misshandlungen und Vergewaltigungen

Laut Ceasefire Centre for Civilan Rights und YASA seien Gefangene, überwiegend kurdische Zivilist·innen, in von der SNA betriebenen Haftanstalten systematischer Folter ausgesetzt, häufig, um Lösegeld von den Familien zu erpressen (Ceasefire Centre for Civilan Rights und YASA, 14. Mai 2024, S. 2).

Syrians for Truth and Justice (STJ) schreibt im Juni 2024, dass eine Analyse von 65 Interviews – davon 45 Kurd·innen – mit Überlebenden und Familienmitglieder von Opfern von Folter in Afrin, Ras Al-Ayn und Tell Abyad zeige, dass Folter und Misshandlungen durch SNA-Fraktionen systematischer Natur seien und darauf abzielen würden, die lokale Bevölkerung, insbesondere Kurd·innen, einzuschüchtern, und sie dazu zu zwingen, ihre Häuser zu verlassen oder kontinuierlich Geldzahlungen zu tätigen (STJ, 26. Juni 2024, S. 3-4).

Die unabhängige internationale Untersuchungskommission zu Syrien bestätigt in ihrem Bericht an den Menschenrechtsrat der Vereinten Nationen (UN Human Rights Council (HRC)) vom August 2023 den Erhalt von Berichten über willkürliche Inhaftierungen, Folter und Misshandlungen in von der SNA kontrollierten Gebieten, hauptsächlich durch Polizeikräfte der SNA. Viele der Opfer seien Kurd·innen, die verdächtigt würden, eine Verbindung zu den kurdischen Volksverteidigungseinheiten, den Demokratischen Kräften Syriens (SDF) oder der Regierung zu haben. Der Bericht nennt zwei Beispiele von gefolterten Kurden aus Anfang 2023. Einer von ihnen sei in Ras Al-Ayn gefoltert worden, während der zweite in Ra’i (Provinz Aleppo, Anmerkung ACCORD) festgenommen worden sei (HRC, 14. August 2023, S. 14). Im August 2024 listet die Kommission eine Reihe von Haftanstalten in Afrin, Dscharablus, Ras Al-Ayn, Sheikh Hadid, Afrin, Hawar Killis und I’zaz auf, in denen die Ausübung von Folter dokumentiert worden sei. Der Bericht beschreibt die Folterungen und Misshandlungen von Kurd·innen, sowie einer Araberin, der Verbindungen zur PKK nachgesagt worden seien, in den genannten Haftanstalten in den Jahren 2023 und 2024 (nähre Details zu den Misshandlungen und Foltermethoden finden Sie im Anhang). Unter den misshandelten Kurd·innen sei auch ein 15-jähriger Junge gewesen. Laut dem Bericht sei ein 15-jähriger kurdischer Junge (es ist nicht ersichtlich, ob es sich um denselben Jungen handelt, Anmerkung ACCORD) zweieinhalb Jahre lang ohne Kontakt zur Außenwelt festgehalten worden. Laut der Kommission würden Richter·innen die Beschwerden von Häftlingen mit sichtbaren Folterspuren weiterhin abweisen (HRC, 12. August 2024, S. 14). Die Kommission berichtet weiters von zwei Kurd·innen die 2022 und 2023 von einem SNA-Mitglied bzw. einem Mitglied der Sultan-Murad-Division vergewaltigt bzw. sexuell angegriffen worden seien (HRC, 12. August 2024, S. 15).

HRW berichtet von 16 interviewten ehemaligen Häftlingen, die in Haftanstalten unterschiedlicher Fraktionen in Afrin wie auch Ras Al-Ayn Opfer und Zeug·innen von Folter und anderen Misshandlungen geworden seien (HRW, Februar 2024, S. 33). HRW habe mit vier Frauen gesprochen, die in den Haftanstalten der SNA-Fraktionen und der Militärpolizei in Afrin sexuelle Gewalt selbst erlebt und beobachtet hätten. Ein Mann sei von Gefängniswärtern dazu gezwungen worden, Zeuge einer Gruppenvergewaltigung zweier kurdischer Frauen zu sein. Alle dokumentierten Fälle hätten sich zwischen Jänner 2018 und Juli 2022 in Afrin ereignet und seien an Kurd·innen verübt worden (HRW, Februar 2024, S. 39).

Außergerichtliche Tötungen

Ceasefire Centre for Civilan Rights und YASA dokumentierten Vorfälle gezielter außergerichtlicher Tötungen durch bewaffnete Gruppen und den türkischen Geheimdienst. Der Bericht nennt den Fall eines 32-jährigen Kurden aus dem Dorf Kafrom, der in Abstimmung mit dem türkischen Geheimdienst von einer bewaffneten Gruppe entführt worden sei. Fünfzehn Tage später sei seine Leiche auf einem Ackerfeld gefunden worden und habe Spuren von Folter aufgewiesen (Ceasefire Centre for Civilan Rights und YASA, 14. Mai 2024, S. 4)

Die internationale Menschenrechtsorganisation Amnesty International berichtet im Jahresbericht 2023 von folgendem Vorfall:

„Am 20. März 2023 schossen Mitglieder der SNA [Syrische Nationalarmee] in der Stadt Dschinderes in Nordsyrien auf eine kurdische Familie, die das kurdische Neujahrsfest Newroz feierte, dabei töteten sie vier Zivilpersonen und verletzten drei weitere. Am nächsten Tag nahm die SNA vier bewaffnete Kämpfer fest, die mutmaßlich für den Angriff verantwortlich waren. Sie gab jedoch nicht bekannt, ob diese bestraft wurden und ob die Familie eine Entschädigung erhalten würde.“ (Amnesty International, 24. April 2024; siehe auch: Ceasefire Centre for Civilan Rights und YASA, 14. Mai 2024, S. 17; HRC, 14. August 2023, S. 13)

Beschlagnahmungen

Laut der unabhängigen internationalen Untersuchungskommission zu Syrien würden einige SNA-Fraktionen routinemäßig einen Teil der Olivenernte der Bauern konfiszieren. In den von der Suleiman-Shah-Brigade kontrollierten Gebieten seien Zahlungen für und die Beschlagnahmung von Ernten erheblich gestiegen und würde in einigen Fällen den Wert der Ernte übersteigen. Die Kommission habe im Dezember 2023 zwei Fälle kurdischer Männer dokumentiert, die von der Suleiman-Shah-Brigade verhaftet und inhaftiert worden sein, weil sie die „Steuer“ von mehr als 10.000 Dollar auf ihr Land bzw. für Gewinne aus Olivenöl nicht gezahlt hätten. Ein weiterer Kurde aus Afrin habe sich geweigert, einen Teil vom Gewinn seiner Olivenernte an die Sultan-Murad-Division zahlen. Kurz darauf seien Dutzende Olivenbäume gefällt und gestohlen worden. Bewaffnete Gruppierungen hätten sich weiters das Land abwesender Landbesitzer angeeignet. Die Gruppierungen würden von Rückkehrer·innen Geld verlangen, um ihre Wohnhäuser zurückzuerhalten. Der Bericht beschreibt die Situation einer kurdischen Familie aus Afrin, denen trotz Nachweises des rechtmäßigen Eigentums die Rückkehr in ihr Haus verweigert worden sei. Das Haus sei von einem Verwandten eines SNA-Mitglieds bewohnt worden (HRC, 9. Februar 2024, S. 14). Die Kommission berichtet im August 2024 von der Fortsetzung der Beschlagnahmung von Eigentum durch die Sultan-Murad- und Al-Jabha al-Shamya-Fraktionen sowie die Belegung der Zivilbevölkerung mit exorbitanten „Steuern“. In mehreren dokumentierten Fällen seien Personen, die sich den Forderungen widersetzt hätten, festgenommen und Gewalt ausgesetzt worden. Die Kommission nennt ausschließlich Beispiele von Kurd·innen, die die genannten „Steuern“ zahlen mussten und denen es nicht möglich gewesen sei, ihr Eigentum und Land nach einer Beschlagnahmung wieder zurückzuerhalten (HRC, 12. August 2024, S. 16).

HRW schreibt im Februar 2024, dass Bewohner·innen und Rückkehrer·innen, die es wagen würden, sich gegen die Beschlagnahmungen und Plünderungen zu wehren, der Gefahr willkürlicher Verhaftung, Inhaftierung, Folter und Misshandlung, Entführung und des erzwungenen Verschwindenlassens ausgesetzt seien. HRW habe mit 36 Personen, 20 aus Afrin, allesamt Kurd·innen, und 15 aus Ras al-Ayn, davon 4 Kurd·innen, 8 Araber·innen, zwei Jesid·innen und ein Mitglied einer religiösen Minderheit, gesprochen, die von der Verletzung ihrer Wohn-, Land- und Eigentumsrechte oder der Rechte ihrer Familienangehörigen erzählt hätten (HRW, Februar 2024, S. 46).

Laut der North Press Agency (NPA) seien viele Kurd·innen aus Afrin gezwungen, Häuser zu mieten oder obdachlos zu sein, weil die SNA ihre Häuser beschlagnahmt habe und sich weigere, die Häuser ihren Eigentümern zurückzugeben. Die SNA habe damit begonnen, diese Häuser und das Eigentum der ursprünglichen Bewohner·innen Afrins zu niedrigen Preisen an ihre Mitglieder oder Siedler aus anderen Gebieten zu verkaufen (NPA, 30. April 2024).

STJ berichtet im November 2023, dass laut von ihnen gesammelten Zeugenaussagen es in fast allen Bezirken Afrins zu Beschlagnahmungen von Zivileigentum gekommen sei. Zusammenarbeit mit der AANES und Mitgliedschaft in der PKK seien als Grund für die Beschlagnahmung von Eigentum genannt worden. Es sei jedoch auch Eigentum von Kurd·innen beschlagnahmt worden, die keine nachgewiesenen Verbindungen zu den zivilen oder militärischen Institutionen der AANES gehabt hätten. Die Beschlagnahmungen seien so umfangreich, dass ganze Dörfer oder große Teile von Dörfern, mit den dazugehörigen landwirtschaftlichen Flächen, beschlagnahmt worden seien und es den Einheimischen weiterhin nicht erlaubt sei, in die Dörfer zurückzukehren (STJ, 13. November 2023, S. 8).

NPA berichtet, dass es in Ras Al-Ayn (auch Sere Kaniye genannt) und Tell Abyad zu Massenvertreibung gekommen sei. Laut NPA sei die kurdische Bevölkerung von Ras Al-Ayn von rund 70.000 auf 42 Personen geschrumpft. In Tell Abyad hätten Kurd·innen früher 30 Prozent der Bevölkerung ausgemacht. Es seien mit Oktober 2024 nur noch wenige Familien übrig (NPA, 8. Oktober 2024; siehe auch: STJ, 8. Oktober 2024, S. 2)

Diskriminierung bei der Verteilung von Hilfsgütern

Amnesty International beschreibt in seinem Jahresbericht 2023 die Situation in Nordsyrien in Folge des Erdbebens vom Februar 2023 wie folgt:

„Die von der Türkei unterstützten bewaffneten Gruppen der SNA [Syrische Nationalarmee] verhinderten, dass Menschen im Bezirk Afrin in der Provinz Aleppo nach den Erdbeben Hilfe erhielten. Sie schossen in die Luft, um Menschenmengen zu zerstreuen, die Hilfsgüter von Lastwagen in Empfang nehmen wollten, und zweigten Hilfsgüter für ihre eigenen Angehörigen ab.

Vier von Amnesty International befragte Personen bestätigten, dass die SNA mindestens 30 Lastwagen mit Kraftstoff und anderen Hilfsgütern der kurdischen Autonomieverwaltung daran hinderte, in Gebiete unter Kontrolle der SNA zu gelangen. Die Lastwagen warteten sieben Tage lang vergeblich am Grenzübergang zwischen Nordostsyrien und dem Norden der Provinz Aleppo, bevor die Autonomieverwaltung sie zurückbeorderte. Ein kurdischer Mann im Bezirk Afrin, dessen Haus bei den Erdbeben zerstört worden war, berichtete Amnesty International, dass man ‚Beziehungen‘ (wasta) zu den bewaffneten Gruppen benötige, um Hilfe zu erhalten, und dass niemand gekommen sei, um zu helfen.“ (Amnesty International, 24. April 2024)

Auch Ceasefire Centre for Civilan Rights und YASA berichten über ungerechte Verteilung von Hilfsgütern und die Diskriminierung vor allem gegen lokale kurdische Gruppen in Dschinderes (Ceasefire Centre for Civilan Rights und YASA, 14. Mai 2024, S. 13; siehe auch: The New Arab, 23. Februar 2023; STJ, 13. November 2023, S. 22; SJAC, März 2024, S. 9). Der Präsident des Zivilrats von Dschinderes habe den Vorwurf der Diskriminierung bestritten (The New Arab, 23. Februar 2023).

Marginalisierung der kurdischen Sprache im Bildungssystem

Die Hawar News Agency (ANHA) zitiert im Mai 2024 den Menschenrechtsaktivisten Ibrahim Sheikho. Laut Sheikho würden Schulen gezwungen, Türkisch zu unterrichten. Kurdischen Sprachunterricht gebe es nur ein oder zwei Mal pro Woche (ANHA, 15. Mai 2024).

Ceasefire Centre for Civilan Rights und YASA erklären in ihrem Bericht über die Situation in Afrin, dass Türkisch und Arabisch als Pflichtfächer in den Schulen unterrichtet würden, während die kurdische Sprache nur zwei Mal pro Woche unterrichtet werde und der Unterricht optional sei (Ceasefire Centre for Civilan Rights and YASA, 14. Mai 2024, S. 8).

Laut Yek.Dem sei die kurdische Sprache seit 2018 bewusst vernachlässigt worden und die Lehrpläne seien im Zuge einer Türkisierung bzw. Arabisierung des Gebiets vollkommen verändert worden (Yek.Dem, 12. März 2024).

Weitere Fälle von Diskriminierung

Laut dem oben genannten Ibrahim Sheikho sei Kurd·innen in Afrin das Tragen von Waffen verboten, während es Siedlern („settlers“) gestattet sei (ANHA, 15. Mai 2024).

Ceasefire Centre for Civilan Rights und YASA berichten, dass die Ahrar-al-Sham-Fraktion, die das Dorf Qarzihel effektiv kontrolliere, die Bewohner·innen 2023 daran gehindert hätte, in der Newroz-Nacht im Dorf eine Newroz-Flamme zu entzünden. Ein Beamter habe bei Versammlungen außerhalb der Wohnhäuser mit Gefängnisstrafen gedroht und das Entzünden von Feuern in der Nähe von Häusern verboten (Ceasefire Centre for Civilan Rights und YASA, 14. Mai 2024, S. 17).

Laut HRW würden Fraktionen der SNA und der Militärpartei, die Menschenrechtsverletzungen verübt hätten, in türkisch kontrollierten Gebieten sehr selten angemessen zur Rechenschaft gezogen. Es würden keine öffentlichen Informationen darüber vorliegen, ob die Türkei gegen ihre eigenen Beamt·innen wegen ihrer Mitschuld an inhaftierungsbezogenen Missbräuchen und Verletzungen von Wohn-, Land- und Eigentumsrechten in den von ihr kontrollierten Gebieten ermittelt oder sie zur Rechenschaft gezogen hat (HRW, Februar 2024, S. 62).

Quellen: (Zugriff auf alle Quellen am 22. November 2024)

·      Amnesty International: Amnesty International Report 2023/24; Zur weltweiten Lage der Menschenrechte; Syrien 2023, 24. April 2024
https://www.ecoi.net/de/dokument/2108269.html

·      ANHA – Hawar News Agency: Reality of Kurdish Language following Turkification of Afrin, 15. Mai 2024
https://hawarnews.com/en/reality-of-kurdish-language-following-turkification-of-afrin

·      Ceasefire Centre for Civilian Rights und YASA – Kurdistan Centre for Studies and Legal Consultancy: Escalating human rights violations in Syria’s Afrin: 2024 update, 14. Mai 2024
https://reliefweb.int/attachments/ec76c163-47fc-401c-a5f6-29db16503ae9/Ceasefire-report-Afrin-2024-update.pdf 

·      HRC - UN Human Rights Council: Report of the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Syrian Arab Republic [A/HRC/54/58], 14. August 2023
https://www.ecoi.net/en/file/local/2097210/G2315549.pdf

·      HRC - UN Human Rights Council: Report of the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Syrian Arab Republic [A/HRC/55/64], 9. Februar 2024
https://www.ecoi.net/en/file/local/2105441/g2401273.pdf

·      HRC - UN Human Rights Council: Report of the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Syrian Arab Republic [A/HRC/57/86], 12. August 2024
https://www.ecoi.net/en/file/local/2114954/g2413377.pdf

·      HRW - Human Rights Watch: Syria: “Everything is by the Power of the Weapon”, Abuses and Impunity in Turkish-Occupied Norther Syria, Februar 2024
https://www.ecoi.net/en/file/local/2105148/syria0224web.pdf

·      New Arab (The): Kurds allege looting, aid discrimination by Turkish-backed militas in Syria after earthquake, 23. Februar 2023
https://www.newarab.com/news/kurds-allege-discrimination-syrian-earthquake-response

·      NPA - North Press Agency: SNA militants seize, sell Kurds’ houses in Syria’s Afrin, 30. April 2024
https://npasyria.com/en/113597/

·      NPA - North Press Agency: Turkish forces, SNA accused of widespread violations in NE Syria, 8. Oktober 2024
https://npasyria.com/en/117419/

·      SJAC – Syria Justice and Accountability Centre: The State of Justice in Syria, März 2024
https://syriaaccountability.org/content/files/2024/03/State-of-Justice-in-Syria-2024-2.pdf

·      SOHR – Syrian Observatory for Human Rights: Turkish occupation of Afrin six years on | Over 8,700 kidnappings and arbitrary arrests and over 4,000 other violations by Turkish forces and their proxy factions, 17. März 2024
https://www.syriahr.com/en/328256/

·      STJ – Syrians for Truth and Justice: “Five Years of Injustice are Enough!” Investigative Study on Violations Against Kurds and Yazidis in Northern Syria, 13. November 2023
https://stj-sy.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Investigative-Study-on-Violations-Against-Kurds-and-Yazidis-in-Northern-Syria.pdf

·      STJ – Syrians for Truth and Justice: In the Absence of Accountability: Torture as a Systematic Policy in Northern Syria, 26. Juni 2024
https://stj-sy.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/In-the-Absence-of-Accountability_Torture-as-a-Systematic-Policy-in-Northern-Syria.pdf

·      STJ – Syrians for Truth and Justice: Syria: Statement on the Passage of Five Years Since the Occupation of Ras al-Ayn/Serê Kaniyê and Tall Abyad During “Peace Spring” Operation, 8. Oktober 2024
https://stj-sy.org/en/syria-statement-on-the-passage-of-five-years-since-the-occupation-of-ras-al-ayn-sere-kaniye-and-tall-abyad-during-peace-spring-operation/

·      Yek.Dem: Afrin Under Occupation (280): Deliberate neglect of Kurdish language education, settlement villages funded by Pakistan and Kuwait, arbitrary arrests, and property seizures in “Baadina” and “Shiyeh.”, 12. März 2024
https://yek-dem.net/ku/?p=14689

 

Anhang: Quellenbeschreibungen und Informationen aus ausgewählten Quellen

Die Hawar News Agency (ANHA) ist ein kurdischer Online-Nachrichtendienst mit Sitz in Al-Hasaka, Syrien.

·      ANHA – Hawar News Agency: Reality of Kurdish Language following Turkification of Afrin, 15. Mai 2024
https://hawarnews.com/en/reality-of-kurdish-language-following-turkification-of-afrin

„The human rights activist in the organization, Ibrahim Sheikho confirmed that the Turkish occupation imposed the Turkish language on schools, and turned the Kurdish language into a marginalized language to be taught throughout the week in one or two classes, and then canceled it after a while under the pretext of the lack of teaching staff. […]

According to Sheikho, in occupied Afrin alone there are 26 shops designated for openly selling weapons, and that carrying weapons is restricted to settlers, while Kurds are prohibited from carrying weapons even in cases of self-defense. Stressing that the extent of the threats and terrorism practiced against Kurdish citizens, especially children, youth, minors and women, constitutes a major dilemma and requires an international stance.“ (ANHA, 15. Mai 2024)

Ceasefire Centre for Civilian Rights ist ein Projekt zur Beobachtung und Dokumentation von Menschenrechtsverletzungen in Krisenregionen.

YASA, Kurdistan Centre for Studies and Legal Consultancy, ist eine NGO mit Sitz in Bonn, die sich für die Förderung und Weiterentwicklung der Menschenrechte der Kurd·innen in ihren Herkunfstländern und in der Diaspora einsetzt.

·      Ceasefire Centre for Civilian Rights und YASA – Kurdistan Centre for Studies and Legal Consultancy: Escalating human rights violations in Syria’s Afrin: 2024 update, 14. Mai 2024
https://reliefweb.int/attachments/ec76c163-47fc-401c-a5f6-29db16503ae9/Ceasefire-report-Afrin-2024-update.pdf 

„Since the last report published by Ceasefire and YASA on the situation in Afrin in 2021, the incidence of detention, torture and enforced disappearance has increased. In Afrin, much of the civilian population – the Kurdish population in particular – lives in a constant state of fear due to the threat of violence, primarily from Turkish-backed Syrian National Army (SNA) factions.

The dominance of SNA factions, granted unchecked authority following the Turkish invasion of Afrin, has enabled a culture of impunity, permitting frequent violations against the local population. Primarily targeting Kurdish civilians under the pretext of alleged affiliation with the previous Kurdish-led administration, the SNA’s practice of detaining people arbitrarily serves as a trigger for displacement, forcing many to abandon their homes permanently to escape threats to their safety.

Detainees, predominantly Kurdish civilians, are subjected to systematic torture in SNA-run detention facilities, including beatings, electric shocks, scalding, and other dehumanizing practices. The mistreatment is often carried out with the purpose of extorting ransoms from the families of detainees.“ (Ceasefire Centre for Civilan Rights und YASA, 14. Mai 2024, S. 2)

„These cases collectively reveal a lived reality in Afrin where arrests and arbitrary detention have become everyday experiences for civilians. Different security entities and armed groups target individuals, particularly Kurds, based on perceived connections or past involvement with the Autonomous Administration. Notably, the recurring theme of property seizures emerges as a core reason for, and consequence of, many of these arrests. This pattern of arrests is not restricted to any particular age group, or by gender or occupation, underscoring the challenge of ensuring Afrin remains safe for its Kurdish residents.

Multiple incidents involving targeted assassinations or other extrajudicial killings committed by armed groups and Turkish intelligence have been documented by YASA and Ceasefire. In one case, a 32-yearold Kurdish man was abducted from his home in Kafrom village by an armed group associated with the Faylaq Al-Sham faction, in coordination with Turkish intelligence. He was taken to an undisclosed location on charges linked to his previous involvement with the Autonomous Administration. Fifteen days later, his body was found dumped on agricultural land in the village of Kafrom, showing signs of torture.“ (Ceasefire Centre for Civilan Rights und YASA, 14. Mai 2024, S. 4)

„The strengthening of religious and Turkish influences in Afrin is evident in the deliberate inclusion of respective elements in the school curriculum, reflecting Türkiye’s strategic efforts since the start of the occupation.

Analysis of the second-grade certificate curriculum reveals a disproportionate emphasis on religious subjects and the sidelining of the Kurdish language, despite the population of the region being predominantly Kurdish. Girls in school textbooks are now depicted wearing hijab. Students are engaged in three religious subjects, totalling five religion classes per week. Moreover, the Turkish language is taught as a mandatory subject like Arabic, while the Kurdish language is taught only twice a week and is the sole optional subject.“ (Ceasefire Centre for Civilan Rights und YASA, 14. Mai 2024, S. 8)

„The unjust distribution of aid, favouring some displaced groups over other (mainly local Kurdish) groups, and the subsequent organised theft of land and property by armed factions acting with impunity, have created new tensions and worsened existing social divisions within communities in Jenderes and other earthquake-affected areas.“ (Ceasefire Centre for Civilan Rights und YASA, 14. Mai 2024, S. 13)

„This longstanding repression persists today under a new guise in Afrin. On 20 March 2023, four Kurdish civilians were murdered while celebrating Newroz in Jenderes. Armed individuals affiliated with Jaysh Al-Sharquia of the SNA opened fire on them as they were lighting fires to mark the Newroz festivities. Two others sustained injuries. According to YASA’s reported cases, Ahrar al-Sham faction, which has effective control of Qarzihel village, stopped the residents from kindling a Newroz flame in the village on Newroz night. An official from the village intervened and ordered the people to return to their homes, issuing threats that any gatherings outside residences would lead to imprisonment and prohibiting the lighting of fires near their homes.“ (Ceasefire Centre for Civilan Rights und YASA, 14. Mai 2024, S. 17)

Der Menschenrechtsrat der Vereinten Nationen (UN Human Rights Council (HRC)), ist ein zwischenstaatliches Gremium innerhalb der Vereinten Nationen, das sich für die Förderung und den Schutz der Menschenrechte weltweit einsetzt.

·      HRC - UN Human Rights Council: Report of the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Syrian Arab Republic [A/HRC/54/58], 14. August 2023
https://www.ecoi.net/en/file/local/2097210/G2315549.pdf

„75. On 20 March, four Kurdish men were shot outside their home in Jindayris, Afrin, by local members of the Jaysh al-Sharqiyah faction of the Syrian National Army. A deaf 15-year-old boy was also injured in the incident, which took place as the men were celebrating Nowruz at home, around a traditional fire. Family members of one of the deceased said that two faction members approached the group, shouted and called them ‘fire worshippers’ before starting a fistfight and throwing stones. The two faction members then brought in two other members and began firing with rifles. Three Kurdish men from the same family died on the spot, and their dead bodies were reportedly also shot. A fourth Kurdish man was injured and died the following day. A witness said that she approached two of the faction’s local leaders to intervene – one called on the men to stop the shooting, but in vain.“ (HRC, 14. August 2023, S. 13)

„76. The Commission continued to receive reports of arbitrary detention, torture and illtreatment in Syrian National Army-controlled areas, mainly by Syrian National Army police forces. […]

77. Many of the victims of arbitrary detention and ill-treatment and torture were Kurdish and were suspected of having ties to Kurdish People’s Protection Units, the Syrian Democratic Forces or the Government. One Kurdish man who was released in early 2023 after nearly six months in detention, following an attempt to flee across the border to Türkiye, was tortured during interrogation by civilian police in Ra’s al-Ayn about his potential links to the Syrian Democratic Forces. He was interrogated daily for 10 to 12 days and tortured extensively, including falaqa, beatings, shabeh and dulab, until he confessed to whatever the investigators wanted. He was released on bail pending trial. The wife of another Kurdish detainee arrested for suspected theft by civilian police in Ra‘i and released in early 2023 told the Commission that her husband had been tortured, including with electric shocks to his genitals. She said the torture had left her husband too traumatized to talk about his experience.“ (HRC, 14. August 2023, S. 14)

·      HRC - UN Human Rights Council: Report of the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Syrian Arab Republic [A/HRC/55/64], 9. Februar 2024
https://www.ecoi.net/en/file/local/2105441/g2401273.pdf

„84. Some SNA [Syrian National Army] factions routinely confiscated part of farmers’ olive harvests, depriving many of their main source of income. In areas controlled by the Suleiman Shah Brigade, payment for and seizure of crops were described to have increased significantly, in some cases exceeding the value of the crops. In December, the Commission documented two cases in which Kurdish men were arrested and detained by the Brigade for failure to pay more than $10,000 in ‘taxes’– one for a piece of land he was looking after and another for olive oil profits, despite having already contributed to olive ‘taxes’ earlier in the season. Both men were released to raise the funds. One of the detainees was reportedly beaten in custody. Another Kurdish man, from Afrin, refused to pay a share of his olive harvest to the Sultan Murad Division. Shortly afterwards he found that scores of his mature olive trees had been cut down and stolen. Despite his complaints to the Division, no action has been taken. Some factions continued to refuse to accept powers of attorney produced by landowners’ relatives authorizing them to harvest on behalf of their absent family member.

85. Land belonging to absent landowners was also appropriated and controlled by armed factions. One witness described returning to Afrin only to find that his agricultural land had been taken over by the Hamzah Division, which had leased it out. Several armed factions also demanded cash payments upon peoples’ return so that they could recover their residential houses. A Kurdish woman returning to Afrin was told that her husband needed to recover their house in person. When he arrived, he found it occupied by a relative of an SNA member. Despite showing proof of legal ownership, he is still prevented from returning to his home. As reported previously, many homeowners in the Afrin region feared retaliation by SNA factions if they approached the authorities to complain about their houses being seized or occupied by armed actors or internally displaced persons, and there was little faith in the justice system.“ (HRC, 9. Februar 2024, S. 14)

·      HRC - UN Human Rights Council: Report of the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Syrian Arab Republic [A/HRC/57/86], 12. August 2024
https://www.ecoi.net/en/file/local/2114954/g2413377.pdf

„Unlawful deprivation of liberty, torture, ill-treatment, and sexual and gender-based violence

81. During the reporting period, methods of torture including shabeh and beatings with pipes and cables were documented in the following detention facilities: the military police in Afrin and Jarablus, the civilian police in Mabrukah in Ra’s al-Ayn, SSSB [Sultan Murad and Al-Jabha al-Shamya factions]-controlled places of detention in Sheikh Hadid and Afrin, the Sultan Murad-controlled places of detention in Hawar Killis and I‘zaz, and the Al-Maasara prison in the I‘zaz district which is under the control of Al-Jabha al-Shamya.

82. Men and women detained by the military police in Afrin in 2023 and 2024 were hung in the shabeh position, beaten and slapped. A Kurdish man held there between 2018 and 2024 was hit repeatedly with a heavy pipe while handcuffed and blindfolded during interrogation. An Arab woman who was released in 2023, after four years, was beaten with cables and placed in the shabeh position by the military police in Jarablus. On one occasion, she was brought to another location and interrogated by a Turkish officer. While the Turkish officer questioned her about alleged ties to the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), an Arab man in uniform slapped her in the face. A Kurdish woman, also released from detention in 2023, was similarly slapped during interrogation by the civilian police in the town of Mabrukah in Ra’s al-Ayn.

83. At the SSSB headquarters in Sheikh Hadid in 2023 and 2024, detainees were severely beaten with cables and iron pipes during interrogation. A Kurdish man described how both of his legs were tied to an iron pipe and held down while he was beaten repeatedly with a green plastic pipe. Another Kurdish detainee was severely beaten as he lay on the floor, leaving him barely able to stand. A Sultan Murad Division leader beat an Arab detainee with cables while he was hanging in the shabeh position during interrogation. Other detainees were also hung in the shabeh position, were electrocuted and suffered serious physical injuries.

84. In the Hawar Killis prison in I‘zaz, a detainee released in late summer 2023 was beaten by Sultan Murad Division members, resulting in scarring.

85. A 15-year-old Kurdish boy, detained by Al-Jabha al-Shamya and released in 2023, was reportedly beaten on the head and back during interrogation and was held in solitary confinement in his underwear in the cold.

86. Reports also continued of sexual and gender-based violence committed in SNA [Syrian National Army] detention facilities, including by the military police in Afrin between 2018 and 2022. These incidents are under investigation.

87. Overall, interviewees continued to report deplorable detention conditions, in overcrowded cells without proper mattresses or blankets, and with poor hygiene and limited access to food and medical care – affecting also children detained alongside their mothers. Detainees reported having to pay money to the guards to access adequate food or to contact their families.

88. Many were held incommunicado, including a 15-year-old Kurdish boy held incommunicado for two and a half years. Several families came to know about the fate of their relatives only when they were asked for money to secure their release – with some families paying thousands of dollars to the military police via intermediaries.

89. Those detained by the military police were typically held in pretrial detention before eventually being brought before a judge, while those arrested by individual SNA factions were held without charge. Lawyers reported that confessions obtained under duress were sometimes held admissible by judges, particularly in the military justice system – with detainees bearing visible signs of torture still seeing their concerns dismissed by judges. An Arab woman accused of association with PKK recalled being accused of lying by a military court judge when she described being tortured by the military police.“ (HRC, 12. August 2024, S. 14)

„93. Two cases of sexual violence by SNA [Syrian National Army] members occurring outside of detention facilities during previous reporting periods were investigated. A Kurdish woman and former Women’s Protection Units (YPJ) member attempting to travel to Türkiye in 2022 was gang-raped in a location controlled by a local armed SNA faction, by a SNA member and other men. She reported how her ex-husband prevented her from seeing her daughters when he heard that she had been raped, and she felt powerless to challenge him due to the stigma of her rape. Another Kurdish woman was sexually assaulted in her home in Afrin by a Sultan Murad Division member in 2023 who threatened to kill her family members.” (HRC, 12. August 2024, S. 15)

„Property confiscation

98. In continuation of a previously reported pattern, SSSB [Sultan Murad and Al-Jabha al-Shamya factions] confiscated landowners’ and homeowners’ property and imposed exorbitant ‘taxes’ on the civilian population. In several documented cases, those who resisted the demands of SSSB were detained and subjected to violence. A Kurdish landowner had to pay more than $8,000 to SSSB in three ‘tax’ demands in a matter of months. Another Kurdish man, returning from government-controlled areas to Afrin, faced significant challenges in recovering his property and land from Suqur al-Shamal and his home remains occupied by people associated with the faction. Attempts to seek accountability through the police and courts were unsuccessful.

99. Also in Afrin, Faylaq al-Sham seized and built on land belonging to a Kurdish landowner, denying him use of the land since 2018. The faction has subjected the landowner to a campaign of physical violence, threats, harassment and financial extortion.” (HRC, 12. August 2024, S. 16)

Human Rights Watch (HRW) ist eine internationale Nichtregierungsorganisation mit Sitz in New York City, die sich für den weltweiten Schutz der Menschenrechte einsetzt.

·      HRW - Human Rights Watch: Syria: “Everything is by the Power of the Weapon”, Abuses and Impunity in Turkish-Occupied Norther Syria, Februar 2024
https://www.ecoi.net/en/file/local/2105148/syria0224web.pdf

„While the SNA [Syrian National Army] officially reports to the Ministry of Defense of the Syrian Interim Government (SIG), a self-declared, internationally recognized governing body representing the Syrian opposition and headquartered in Azaz, its factions ultimately answer to Turkish military forces and intelligence agencies. Military and civilian police forces established under the SIG’s supervision to enforce the rule of law following allegations of rampant abuses also answer to Turkish military forces and intelligence agencies, two informed sources with direct knowledge of the inner workings of the SNA told Human Rights Watch. ‘Nothing takes place without their knowledge,’ said one of them. Human Rights Watch was not able to find published directives outlining Turkish authorities’ role in the command structure in Turkish-occupied territories of Syria.

Because the Turkish authorities equate the People’s Protection Unit (Yekineyen Parastina Gel, YPG) and the Women’s Protection Unit (Yekineyen Parastina Jin, YPJ), the largest components of the US-backed Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which they view as a terrorist organization and existential threat to Türkiye, Kurdish residents who lived in their homes and tended their lands under SDF rule, and who were thereby effectively considered loyal to the SDF or to any of its various components, have overwhelmingly borne the brunt of the abuses documented. Arabs and others who were also perceived to have had ties with the SDF and the Autonomous Administration of Northeast Syria (AANES), the civilian governing body in SDF-controlled areas, were also targeted.“ (HRW, Februar 2024, S. 3)

„Under the supervision of Turkish military and intelligence forces, who not only tolerate such practices, but give tacit approval or are directly involved, factions of the Türkiye-back Syrian National Army and the Military Police division established to curb their abuses have, since taking over Afrin in 2018 and Ras al-Ain in October 2019, arbitrarily arrested and detained, forcibly disappeared, tortured and otherwise ill-treated, and subjected to unfair military trials scores of people with impunity. Kurdish women detainees reported being subjected to sexual violence, including rape. Children as young as six-month old have been detained alongside their mothers.“ (HRW, Februar 2024, S. 28)

„In the majority of cases documented, although factions and the Military Police accused those they detained of committing serious crimes at the behest of Kurdish armed groups, they released them in exchange for money.“ (HRW, Februar 2024, S. 31)

„All former detainees reported that SNA forces detained and held them incommunicado and without charge either in makeshift detention facilities belonging to various factions or in Military Police detention centers across Afrin and Ras al-Ain – or in many cases both – for periods ranging from three weeks to over two years.“ (HRW, Februar 2024, S. 32)

„Human Rights Watch interviewed 16 former detainees who reported witnessing and being subjected to torture and other cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment in the detention centers of both the Military Police and various factions of the SNA [Syrian National Army] in Afrin and Ras al-Ain.“ (HRW, Februar 2024, S. 33)

„Four women told Human Rights Watch they and other women detained with them experienced sexual violence both in the detention sites of SNA [Syrian National Army] factions and in the Military Police division in the city of Afrin. Two women said that, while they themselves were not subjected to it, they either witnessed it happen to others or were informed about it by other detainees. One man said his jailers forced him to witness a gang rape of two Kurdish women. All documented cases took place in Afrin between January 2018 and July 2022 and were perpetrated against Kurds.“ (HRW, Februar 2024, S. 39)

„While civilian courts have also been established, it is often the military courts that try detainees arbitrarily arrested and detained by the various factions, in coordination with the Military Police, on accusations of belonging to or having ties with Kurdish armed groups, the Syrian government, or ISIS [Islamic State of Iraq and Syria].

These military courts lack independence, impartiality, and adherence to due process, with judges subject to military command and superior orders. Detainees are denied legal counsel throughout their detention, and coerced confessions are used as evidence, often the sole piece of evidence.“ (HRW, Februar 2024, S. 42-43)

„Human Rights Watch spoke to 36 individuals, 20 from Afrin, all of whom are Kurds, and 15 from Ras al-Ain, 4 of whom are Kurds, 8 Arabs, two Yezidis, and one member of a religious minority group, who spoke about their own experiences of violations of their housing, land, and property rights, or that of their family members.

Following Türkiye’s Operation Olive Branch in Afrin in 2018, and Operation Peace Spring in the strip between Tel Abyad and Ras al-Ain in 2019, as hundreds of thousands fled their homes, SNA [Syrian National Army] factions engaged in looting, pillaging and seizure of homes, lands and businesses.

By August 2023, over six years after Afrin’s occupation and almost five years since the occupation of Ras al-Ain and Tel Abyad, the majority of residents and returnees interviewed by Human Rights Watch, whose rights to housing, land, and property were violated, remain without proper restitution or compensation. Patterns of looting, pillaging, and property confiscations continue, and residents and returnees who dare stand up to the factions remain at risk of arbitrary arrest, detention, torture and ill-treatment, kidnapping, and enforced disappearance.“ (HRW, Februar 2024, S. 46)

„Despite the litany of human rights abuses, including possible war crimes, that commanders and members of various SNA [Syrian National Army] factions and the Military Police are accused of having committed in Afrin, Ras al-Ain, and elsewhere in Turkish-occupied territories since at least 2018, rarely have any been held fittingly accountable, neither by the SNA’s own military courts, which lack independence or impartiality, nor by Türkiye as the occupying power in the relevant areas and the SNA’s main backer. No public information exists on whether Türkiye has investigated or held accountable any of its own officials for their complicity in detention-related abuses and violations of housing, land, and property rights in the territories it occupies.“ (HRW, Februar 2024, S. 62)

The New Arab (Al-Araby Al-Jadeed) ist ein 2014 in London gegründetes Medienunternehmen.

·      New Arab (The): Kurds allege looting, aid discrimination by Turkish-backed militas in Syria after earthquake, 23. Februar 2023
https://www.newarab.com/news/kurds-allege-discrimination-syrian-earthquake-response

„At least five residents of the area and three Kurdish monitoring organisations who spoke with The New Arab alleged that the Turkish-backed militias which control the area have distributed aid in a discriminatory manner, as well as engaged in looting.

‘They [militias] told us if we wanted aid, even a tent, we would have to go to an IDP [Internally Displaced People] camp in Deir al-Balout [about 15 km from Afrin]. Arab families did not have to do this,’ Reem, a Kurdish civilian from Afrin speaking under a pseudonym out of fear of repercussions, told TNA [The New Arab]. […]

In addition to looting, there have been allegations of aid discrimination, particularly against Kurdish residents.

‘There are people who are taking large quantities of aid, especially Arabs coming from surrounding areas. But the Kurds in Jinderis are not getting aid, we’re not even getting tents,’ Reem said.

Ibrahim Sheikho, the Director of the Center for Human Rights in Afrin, told TNA that they have recorded cases of Kurdish families having to buy tents for as much as US$300.

The tents, donated as part as the humanitarian relief effort, are meant to be given to families for free. […]

Mahmoud Hufar, the president of the Jenderis Civil Council, denied that looting is a significant problem in the area, saying that the cases of looting ‘have occurred’ but are ‘very limited.’

Hufar also denied that there was discrimination in aid provision, but instead blamed the perception of discrimination on a general scarcity of aid in the area. […]

Sheikho and Shabaan say that the alleged discrimination in aid and looting are part of a greater policy of ‘demographic change’ whereby Turkish militia seek to push out Kurdish residents of the area.“ (The New Arab, 23. Februar 2023)

North Press Agency (NPA) ist eine syrisch-kurdische Nachrichtenagentur.

·      NPA - North Press Agency: SNA militants seize, sell Kurds’ houses in Syria’s Afrin, 30. April 2024
https://npasyria.com/en/113597/

„Militants of the Turkish-backed armed opposition factions, aka the Syrian National Army (SNA), continue to seize houses of the original Kurdish inhabitants of Afrin Region, northwest Syria, even though many of them are present there.

Six years after the occupation of Afrin many original inhabitants are forced to either rent houses or stay homeless.

Despite multiple attempts by the owners to reclaim their properties, they find themselves forced to rent houses as SNA militants refuse to give the houses back to their owners.

Recently, SNA factions started selling the houses and property of Afrin residents at low prices to its militants or settlers from other areas.“ (NPA, 30. April 2024)

·      NPA - North Press Agency: Turkish forces, SNA accused of widespread violations in NE Syria, 8. Oktober 2024
https://npasyria.com/en/117419/

„Mass displacement

The Synergy Association also shed light on the ongoing displacement crisis. Over 150,000 residents of Sere Kaniye and Tel Abyad have been forcibly displaced, with more than 85% of Sere Kaniye’s original population still unable to return.

The Kurdish population in Serekaniye, once numbering around 70,000, has dwindled to just 42 individuals. […]

In Tel Abyad, where Kurds previously made up 30% of the population, only a few families remain.“ (NPA, 8. Oktober 2024)

Das Syria Justice and Accountability Centre (SJAC) ist eine NGO, die sich für Gerechtigkeit und Rechenschaftspflicht in Syrien einsetzt, indem sie Menschenrechtsverletzungen dokumentiert.

·      SJAC – Syria Justice and Accountability Centre: The State of Justice in Syria, März 2024
https://syriaaccountability.org/content/files/2024/03/State-of-Justice-in-Syria-2024-2.pdf

„Arbitrary detention, torture, and extortion were central to Turkish and SNA [Syrian National Army] rule in Syria in 2023. Racketeering was particularly common in Ras al-Ayn and Tell Abyad, where people who sought to return to their homes after being displaced by Turkish military campaigns were forced to pay ‘protection fees’ to local SNA factions. Although such abuses often target Kurdish communities, including those refugees recently deported from Türkiye, they also affected vulnerable Arab populations.“ (SJAC, März 2024, p. 8)

„Türkiye and its SNA [Syrian National Army] proxies carried out perhaps their most brazen abuses in the wake of the February earthquake. SNA factions repeatedly seized relief aid or distributed it in a discriminatory manner that echoed practices undertaken by local authorities in other areas within the impact zone. In Afrin, for example, the Suleiman Shah Brigade under the control of Muhammad al-Jasim forced local humanitarian organizations to turn over all aid and then staged fake presentations of aid distribution. Kurdish residents in Jindires, meanwhile, faced major obstacles to accessing relief aid that Arab beneficiaries and families of SNA fighters did not encounter.“ (SJAC, März 2024, p. 9)

Das Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) ist eine 2006 gegründete, in Großbritannien ansässige Menschenrechtsorganisation, die sich für die Verteidigung der Menschenrechte in Syrien einsetzt.

·      SOHR – Syrian Observatory for Human Rights: Turkish occupation of Afrin six years on | Over 8,700 kidnappings and arbitrary arrests and over 4,000 other violations by Turkish forces and their proxy factions, 17. März 2024
https://www.syriahr.com/en/328256/

„Also, SOHR has documented, since the beginning of Turkish occupation of Afrin until the evening of March 17, 2024, the kidnapping and arrest of over 8,729 Kurdish civilians from Afrin, 1,123 of whom remained imprisoned, while the rest were released, after most of them had paid large ransoms which factions of the Turkish-backed ‘National Army’ required.“ (SOHR, 17. März 2024)

Syrians for Truth and Justice (STJ) besteht aus einem Team von Forscher·innen, Anwält·innen und Freiwilligen, die sich der Aufdeckung von Menschenrechtsverletzungen in ganz Syrien widmen.

·      STJ – Syrians for Truth and Justice: “Five Years of Injustice are Enough!” Investigative Study on Violations Against Kurds and Yazidis in Northern Syria, 13. November 2023
https://stj-sy.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Investigative-Study-on-Violations-Against-Kurds-and-Yazidis-in-Northern-Syria.pdf

„One set of the collected testimonies demonstrates that civilian property confiscations occurred in almost all of Afrin's districts. Additionally, the testimonies show that working with AANES [Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria] and membership in the PKK [Kurdistan Workers’ Party] were the allegations driven against multiple civilian Kurds from the region, on the grounds of which the involved SNA [Syrian National Army] armed groups confiscated their property. Notably, these allegations can be used against a large segment of Afrin's population, for the AANES institutions were the residents' only chance to secure jobs for years. Another set of the collected testimonies shows that the properties of civilian Kurds were also confiscated, although they had no verified ties with the AANES civil or military institutions. Moreover, the testimonies demonstrate that confiscations were so widespread that the armed groups even seized entire or large swathes of the region's villages—along with the properties, houses, and agricultural lands they encompassed—while locals remain banned from returning to their original places of residence in these villages even though five years have passed since the armed groups controlled the region.“ (STJ, 13. November 2023, S. 8)

„Jindires district—one of the regions worst hit by the February 2023 quake—was an epicenter for various violations perpetrated by the Turkish-backed armed opposition groups. The abuses accompanied and followed the humanitarian response operations, including the blocking of life-saving aid, discrimination in assistance distribution, seizure or diversion of humanitarian allocations, and confiscation of intact buildings and the rubble of destroyed ones.“ (STJ, 13. November 2023, S. 22)

·      STJ – Syrians for Truth and Justice: In the Absence of Accountability: Torture as a Systematic Policy in Northern Syria, 26. Juni 2024
https://stj-sy.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/In-the-Absence-of-Accountability_Torture-as-a-Systematic-Policy-in-Northern-Syria.pdf

„The analysis of 65 interviews conducted by STJ and Synergy with victims and survivors and with members of their families in Afrin, Ras al-Ayn/Serê Kaniyê, and Tall Abyad showed that the torture and ill-treatment carried out by the opposition SNA’s [Syrian National Army] factions amount to be part of a widespread systematic pattern aiming to intimidate the local population, especially the Kurds, and forcing them to leave their original homes or to continuously submit to financial extortion.“ (STJ, 26. Juni 2024, S. 3)

„The interviews were conducted with 59 survivors who were fortunate to escape torture and return to their families, as well as 6 persons who were relatives of victims. Excluding two Yezidi girls and one Christian young man, the majority of the victims were Muslim. Of these, 45 were Kurds, 19 were Arabs, while one was Armenian. Gender sensitivity was taken into consideration during the interviews as female survivors were interviewed by female researchers. […]

Motives behind the majority of detentions and tortures in areas of Afrin, Ras al-Ayn/Serê Kaniyê and Tall Abyad were to extort the victims and their families to get financial ransoms. Others were kept in custody for intimidation purposes to push them to leave the area. Furthermore, civilians were arrested simply for demanding to restore their seized properties.“ (STJ, 26. Juni 2024, S. 4)

·      STJ – Syrians for Truth and Justice: Syria: Statement on the Passage of Five Years Since the Occupation of Ras al-Ayn/Serê Kaniyê and Tall Abyad During “Peace Spring” Operation, 8. Oktober 2024
https://stj-sy.org/en/syria-statement-on-the-passage-of-five-years-since-the-occupation-of-ras-al-ayn-sere-kaniye-and-tall-abyad-during-peace-spring-operation/

„Five years have passed since the Turkish occupation of areas of Ras al-Ayn/Serê Kaniyê and Tall Abyad as a result of the military operation dubbed ‘Peace Spring’, which began on October 9, 2019, under the pretext of establishing a ‘Safe Zone’. However, the reality has been the opposite. The region has lost its safety and stability, as well as continues to endure widespread violations and the absence of the rule of law.

The military incursion displaced more than 200,000 indigenous people from these areas, with Turkey and the Turkish-backed factions of the opposition Syrian National Army (SNA) indiscriminately bombarding civilian buildings and systematically looting private properties belonging to locals of various backgrounds, particularly the Kurds. Moreover, the SNA factions have prevented hundreds of displaced families from returning to their homes and reclaiming their properties.

Tens of thousands of indigenous people remain forcibly displaced in dire humanitarian conditions in makeshift camps and shelters that lack support and official recognition from UN agencies. According to independent local Syrian organizations, more than 85% of the inhabitants of Ras al-Ayn/Serê Kaniyê are still forcibly displaced, with the Kurdish population dwindling from 75,000 to just 50 individuals, the numbers of Armenian, Syriac, and Yezidi residents have also fallen to no more than a handful.“ (STJ, 8. Oktober 2024, S. 2)

Yek.Dem ist die offizielle Webseite der Kurdischen Demokratischen Einheitspartei in Syrien (Yekiti Kurdistan Party).

·      Yek.Dem: Afrin Under Occupation (280): Deliberate neglect of Kurdish language education, settlement villages funded by Pakistan and Kuwait, arbitrary arrests, and property seizures in “Baadina” and “Shiyeh.”, 12. März 2024
https://yek-dem.net/ku/?p=14689

„After the Kurdish language curriculum during the previous autonomous-administration years (2013-2017) in Afrin, which was a natural right for the Kurds in their region, the Turkish occupation since 2018 has deliberately neglected its education and completely changed the school curricula, in the context of Turkifying or Arabizing the area. […]

The occupying authorities arrested:

– On February 4, 2024, the citizen ‘Fathallah Abdul Hanan Mohammed, /72/ years old’, from the village of ‘Ammara/Amoro’ – Mobato/Ma’batli, by the Turkish intelligence and the ‘Civil Police in Ma’batli/Mobato,’ on charges of affiliation with the previous autonomous-administration. He was taken to Afrin city and remains arbitrarily detained in ‘Marateh’ central prison; this occurred about three months after his return with his wife from the destination of displacement in Aleppo to his village. Meanwhile, the Azaz police militias arrested his son Sherzad and his wife Rosaline on February 1, 2024, with the same charge during their return to the village, and they remain arbitrarily detained.

– In mid-February 2024, the citizen ‘Aisha Dilo,’ wife of ‘Jamal Qader Bilal’ from the village of ‘Biboko’ – Bulbul, was arrested on charges of affiliation with the previous autonomous-administration. She was released after ten days of detention and a fine was imposed on her.

– On February 22, 2024, the citizens ‘Abdul Rahman Sharaf son of Hassan, /58/ years old’, ‘Ziad Sharaf son of Sabri, /63/ years old’, ‘Ahmed Dilo son of Mohammed, also known as ‘Salan,’ /58/ years old’, from the village of ‘Biboko’ – Bulbul, were arrested by the Turkish intelligence and the military police militias, on charges of affiliation with the previous autonomous-administration, after they had returned in September 2023 from the destination of displacement in Aleppo to their village. ‘Abdul Rahman’ was released on Thursday, March 7, 2024, after a fine was imposed on him, and the rest remain arbitrarily detained.

– Shortly after his return from the destination of displacement in Aleppo to his village about ten days ago, the citizen ‘Omar Hussein Omar, /32/ years old’, from the village of ‘Kurzileh Cheh’ – Bulbul, was arrested by the Turkish intelligence and the military police militias, on charges of affiliation with the previous autonomous-administration, and he remains arbitrarily detained.

– On March 2, 2024, the citizen ‘Dogan Abdo Bakr, /65/ years old’, from the village of ‘Kuliya/Golio Fuqani,’ was arrested by the Turkish intelligence and the ‘Military Police militias in Raju,’ on charges of affiliation with the previous autonomous-administration.

– On March 4, 2024, the citizens ‘Rasul Qanbar Rashid, /49/ years old’, ‘Subhi Akash Bilal, /62/ years old’, from the village of ‘Maska/Mosako’ – Raju, were arrested by the Turkish intelligence and the ‘Civil Police militias in Raju,’ under the pretext of participating in night guard duties during the previous autonomous-administration. They were released on March 6, 2024, after a fine of $300 USD was imposed on each of them.“ (Yek.Dem, 12. März 2024)