13 killings and 208 kidnappings in Afrin this year

In Afrin, which has been occupied by the Turkish state since March 2018, 13 civilians have been killed and 208 kidnapped in the past seven months. The Human Rights Organization in Afrin-Syria has documented the crimes of the occupying forces in Afrin. In Serdem camp, a self-organized camp near the occupied area, the organization presented an overview of the crimes in Afrin over the past seven months.
Child victim of sexual violence
Human rights spokesperson Mihemed Ebdo released the report. Ebdo reported that the Turkish state is violating human rights in the region with crimes such as killings, kidnappings, violence, extortion, confiscation of people’s property and resale of confiscated materials, and destruction of nature. There have been 208 kidnappings since the beginning of the year, including 24 women and one minor. The 13-year-old was a victim of sexual violence. 13 people, including three women, were killed by the occupation forces. More than 16,000 trees have been cut down, more than a thousand others uprooted and more than 70 hectares of land burnt.
Destruction of historical heritage
Historic sites such as the Ishtar Temple of Ayn Dara, the Mausoleum of Nebi Huri, the Sikefta Duderi and the Tomb of Mar Maron, as well as the surrounding monastic complexes, were looted and destroyed. Historical artefacts of the UNESCO World Heritage Site were sold on the black market. Ebdo also stated that the Turkish state is building settlements in the villages and neighborhoods of Afrin Canton in cooperation with Qatar, Kuwait and Palestinian organizations. The Muslim Brotherhood, in particular, is once again playing a central role.
Turkification of Afrin
Ebdo continued its statement as follows: “The most dangerous of the crimes and violations is the demographic change in the region. This has now reached the level of cultural genocide. The Turkish occupying state has changed the name of Azadi Square, one of the main squares in the center of Afrin, to Atatürk Square and the name of the village of Qestela Miqdad to Selcuk Obasi. Kurdish names of important places were also replaced with Turkish names. Turkish flags and posters of Erdoğan were put up everywhere in villages, towns and cities. Turkish materials have been used in schools. Turkish flags were sewn on students’ clothes. Names on shop signs were written in Turkish. In addition to all these racist practices, the Turkish occupation state destroyed Yezidi, Alawite and Christian religious places and shrines. People living in the occupied territories were forced to apply for Turkish identity cards. The Turkish occupying state removed the railway lines connecting the districts of Rajo and Sera and sold them to merchants in Azaz.”
Call to prosecute war criminals
Ebdo stressed that all the attacks and war crimes are taking place before the eyes of the world, but the world is blind and deaf to them. Therefore, Ebdo called on all international and humanitarian organizations, especially the United Nations (UN), to ” fulfill their moral-political humanitarian responsibility against the backdrop of their legal responsibility”. Ebdo also called for pressure on the Turkish state to withdraw from all occupied territories in northern Syria, especially Afrin. The statement concluded by calling for the prosecution of war criminals in international courts and the safe return of refugees.