EFRîN -  Stating that at least 120 people were kidnapped in Afrin, which is under Turkish control in two months, Afrin Human Rights Organization Spokesperson İbrahim Şêxo stated that 8 thousand people have been kidnapped by paramilitary forces for ransom in the city so far.

 

Violations of rights and serious crimes against humanity in the Afrin Canton of Northern and Eastern Syria, which Turkey entered militarily on January 20, 2018, continue unabated. Thousands of people have been kidnapped for ransom since March 18, 2018 in the city where graves were destroyed, women were kidnapped, olive trees were cut and their products were sold, demography was intervened with, Turkish signs were hung instead of Kurdish ones.

 

In the Afrin Canton, on February 23, Turkish intelligence and paramilitary groups kidnapped Yusif Ebdulezîz Yaqub (67), the imam of the mosque in Afrin city center, in the village of Semalka in the  and transferred him to Rai prison.

 

 Mihemed Hisên and a citizen named Şaban whose surname could not be learned in Umerat District, a citizen named Mihemed Mamo Cuma from his house in Elkê village of Şera district on February 24, Feyleq El-Şam group members are from the family of a citizen named Şakir Şêxo (36) from Celemê village of Cindirês. kidnapped for ransom. Mihemed Mamo Cuma and Şakir Şêxo were abducted by Feyleq El-Şam for ransom on February 24.

 

Afrin Human Rights Organization Spokesperson İbrahim Şêxo evaluated the crimes against humanity in Afrin for the last 4 years to the Mesopotamia Agency (MA).

 

450 THOUSAND TURKMENS SETTLED IN AFRIN

 

Stating that Turkey carried out inhumane attacks on Afrin, the symbol of which is the olive tree representing peace, on January 20, 2018, Şêxo said, "Democratic Autonomy institutions were serving the people in Afrin. Everything was going smoothly in Afrin. Afrin was the most peaceful city in the region. There was no war or conflict in Afrin when Turkey attacked with its gangs of 20 thousand people and Turkish Army on January 20, 2018 under the name of 'Operation Olive Branch'. People of Afrin were driven from their lands after 58 days of defense."

 

590 PEOPLE ARRESTED IN AFRIN

 

Noting that people of Afrin were oppressed with the permission of Russia by Turkey and paramilitary groups affiliated with Turkey, Şêxo told that the most damaging thing done to Afrin was that the people were forced into migration. Şêxo said, "300,000 of our people were subjected to forced migration. 450 thousand people, consisting of Turkmen, Arabs and Palestinians, were settled to the houses Kurds had to move out from. 95% of Afrin was populated by Kurdish people before, now only 25% of the people in Afrin are Kurdish. People were killed, abducted, driven from their lands. At least 700 people were killed so far. There are women and children among them. 590 people were arrested and put into Turkish prisons after being severely tortured. 80 women committed suicide as a result of the oppression they were exposed to by these gangs. 70 women were raped by these gang members. Dozens forced into marriages. People have lost their limbs, eyes as a result of these attacks. The people of Afrin have been through hell. 

 

28 GRAVESTONES WERE DESTROYED BY GANGS

 

Stating that 28 cemeteries containing Yazidi and Sunni clergy were destroyed, Şexô said, "They demolished the gravestones because they were afraid of the Kurdish symbols, or they wanted to steal the tombs."

 

400 THOUSAND OLIVE TREES WERE CUT

 

Stating that there also is an attack against the ecology in Afrin, Şêxo told that 400 thousand olive trees were cut. Stating that hundreds of thousands of acres of land were burned to the ground Şêxo said: "The woodland in Cindires district and the trees in Şiyê district along with all the trees on Mount Hawarê were cut down. 17 thousand olive trees were burned in Afrin, 20 thousand trees were stubbed. According to the Syrian state, 33 thousand hectares of land was planted in the areas affiliated to the Democratic Autonomy, especially according to the Syrian State. 12 thousand acres of it were burned down. 60 of 75 green areas were destroyed and dug up. The trees that were cut here were taken to Turkey to be sold."

 

OLIVE OIL HAVE BECOME SPOIL OF WAR

 

Şêxo said, "All the olive oil produced that year have been stolen. They made a lot of money out of it. The gains from this trade have been heard both in the Turkish media, in the Turkish parliament and in the world. They said PKK was there and they got rid off the PKK and the olive oil was the price of that. They did not deny it. The olive oil paid for their operation. The stolen olive oil was sold to Spain as Turkish olive oil."

 

KURDISH LANGUAGE WAS REPLACED WITH TURKISH

 

Stating that the assimilation towards Kurdish continues in Afrin without interruption, Şêxo said: "A poster of the Turkish President has been hung in Afrin's city center. Turkish flags have been hung all over the city. The names of the shops were changed into Turkish. They opened schools educating the children in Turkish and banned Kurdish. They changed the names of the streets into Turkish names.

 

8 THOUSAND PEOPLE WERE KIDNAPPED FOR RANSOM

 

Speaking about the recent kidnappings, Şêzo said that at least 8 thousand people were kidnapped from 2018 to 2022. Stating that at least 120 people were abducted in the first 2 months of 2022, Şêxo said, "The people they abducted are held in Afrin and Ezaz prisons. The reason for their kidnapping is that they are affiliated with the Autonomous Administration. Ransoms were demanded from their families. The families of the people they kidnapped were forced into migration, Arab population were settled in their homes."

 

CALL TO INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTIONS 

 

Emphasizing that they changed the demography in Afrin, Şêxo said: "The change in demography in Afrin, the indefinite and uninterrupted torture against our people continues. Russia, Iran and the Syrian regime turned a blind eye on these attacks. International institutions continue to remain silent. We demand the international powers to step in. This brutality must end, the people of Afrin must return to their lands. Those who committed the crime must be punished. They should be tried in international courts."