Panorama of violations during October in areas of influence and control

Yekiti Media

Violations of the Democratic Union Party (PYD) administration during October

On Monday, October 14, 2024, the militants of the Democratic Union Party (PYD) released three detainees from the Kurdish National Council in Syria after a period of detention that lasted for about six months.
The released are the Journalist Ahmed Sofi, who was kidnapped since April 2, 2024, the member of Girkê Legê locality of the Kurdish National Council Marwan Hussein Liani, who was kidnapped since April 1, 2024, and the member of the Derik locality Hisham Dorsen, who was kidnapped since April 1, 2024.

It is worth noting that the militants of the Democratic Union Party are forcibly detaining Fathi Kado, a member of the advisory committee of the Kurdish Yekiti Party, Ramadan Haji, a member of the Tirbespi locality, and the media professional Rakan Ahmed.

During October of this year, the Revolutionary Youth Organization affiliated with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party continued to kidnap minors from areas controlled by the Syrian Democratic Forces.

During October, the family of the minor, Yusra Ezzat (14 years old), announced that she had been kidnapped from the village of Al-Ziyara by the Revolutionary Youth Organization on September 28 and that she had been placed in forced recruitment camps in the Al-Shahba region, which is under the control of the People’s Protection Units affiliated with the Democratic Union Party.

It is worth noting that the village of Al-Ziyara is affiliated with the Shirawa district in the Afrin region and is under the joint control of the Syrian regime forces and the People’s Protection Units.

In the city of Hasakah, members of the Revolutionary Youth kidnapped the child Khamis Hamid, 14 years old, from the Aziziyah neighborhood on October 15, 2024.

As for the Sheikh Maqsoud neighborhood in Aleppo governorate, which is under the control of the People’s Protection Units, members of the Revolutionary Youth kidnapped the minors Silva Khalil Hussein, 17 years old, and Naima Hassan Hussein, 17 years old, on October 15, 2024.

Members of the Revolutionary Youth kidnapped the minor Alaa Abdel Fattah, 14 years old, from the city of Tabqa in the countryside of Raqqa on October 8.

Human Rights Watch said in a report in early October 2024: If the Syrian Democratic Forces and affiliated groups want to truly address the ongoing recruitment of children, they must immediately stop the recruitment activities of children carried out by armed groups within their alliance, and ensure that their affiliates or external parties do not carry out recruitment operations in areas under their control. It should conduct genuine investigations into unlawful child recruitment activities in areas under its control and hold those responsible to account.

It should strengthen monitoring and accountability for all groups operating in areas under its control, including by establishing more effective monitoring systems, while ensuring clear channels of communication between child recruits and their families.

The organization called on Washington to use its influence to ensure these measures are implemented, and to consider imposing sanctions on the Revolutionary Youth Movement for its role in recruiting children. The US Child Soldiers Prevention Act prohibits the United States from providing military assistance to governments that recruit and use children. Human Rights Watch said that the United States should apply the same principles to the non-state armed groups it supports.

Manbij…

The city of Manbij in the countryside of Aleppo governorate, which is under the control of the Syrian Democratic Forces, witnessed widespread popular protests against the ideological curricula imposed by the administration of the Democratic Union Party. The protests included organizing demonstrations, sit-ins, and a strike by shops from work, and students and teachers went on strike. The Syrian Democratic Forces arrested dozens of participants in the protests, including students from all educational levels.

Violations by Turkish-backed armed factions against Kurds in areas under their control during October

The armed factions loyal to the Turkish army continue to commit violations against Kurdish citizens in the Afrin region and its countryside in Syrian Kurdistan, including kidnappings, arrests, and many others, with the aim of forcing citizens to emigrate and causing demographic change in the Kurdish city.

The armed factions loyal to the Turkish army arrested 14 Kurdish citizens in the Afrin region in Syrian Kurdistan.
On October 1, the military police faction loyal to the Turkish army arrested citizen Muhammad Mustafa Hussein, 45 years old, from the village of Sinara in the Shih district in the Afrin countryside, and he was taken to an unknown location, and his fate remains unknown until now.

On October 3, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights documented the arrest of citizen Muhammad Subhi Haji Aref, 45 years old, by members of the Al-Sham Front faction loyal to the Turkish army, in the village of Qastal Jandu in the Shara district in the countryside of Afrin city.

In the same context, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, the Al-Hamzat Division faction loyal to the Turkish army arrested citizen Muhammad Hussein Hussein, 45 years old, from the Al-Ashrafiyah neighborhood in the city of Afrin on October 4, and took him to an unknown location, where his fate remains unknown until now.

The armed factions loyal to the Turkish army kidnapped Kurdish citizens in the town of Azaz in the countryside of Aleppo.

On October 8, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights documented the kidnapping of (Saeed Hassan Allou, 55 years old, and the young man Ali Khalil Allou, 29 years old) by members of the Al-Sham Front faction loyal to the Turkish army in the town of Azaz in the countryside of Aleppo governorate.

The faction arrested them while they were returning from Lebanon to the city of Afrin, and they were taken to an unknown location. Their fate is still unknown until now.

The military police faction loyal to the Turkish army arrested (Nouri Hanan Hussein, 55 years old, and Hassan Mustafa Sido, 28 years old), from the village of Maska, affiliated with the Jandairis district, and the village of Amaro, affiliated with the Raju district in the countryside of Afrin.

The faction members took them to an unknown location, where their fate is still unknown until now.

In a different context, the armed factions loyal to the Turkish army stole the olive crop of three Kurdish citizens in the countryside of Afrin in Syrian Kurdistan.

A special source from the city of Afrin said yesterday, Wednesday: “Elements of the Faylaq al-Sham faction loyal to the Turkish army, led by Abu Salil al-Khalidi and Abu Arab in the village of Midan Ikbas, affiliated with the Raju district in the countryside of Afrin, stole the crop of (340) olive trees belonging to three Kurdish citizens.” The citizens whose crops were stolen are: (Salah Haj Muhammad Dawood 150 olive trees, Khaled Haj Muhammad Dawood 75 olive trees, and Sheikhmos Ismail 115 olive trees).

On Monday, October 14, members of the Faylaq al-Sham faction stole the crop of 225 olive trees belonging to the Kurdish citizen Salah Haj Mahmoud Dawood.

On October 17, the arrest of (Youssef Hassan Hammou, 52 years old, from the village of Kimar in the Shirawa district, Muhammad Othman Muhammad, 55 years old, from the Mahmoudiya neighborhood in the city of Afrin, Omar Muhammad Dawood, 35 years old, from the village of Qartala in the Shara district, and Khalil Youssef Ajk, 32 years old, from his home in the Mahmoudiya neighborhood in the city of Afrin) was documented.

On October 21, the Syrian Network for Human Rights documented the arrest of (Zizan Yousef Abdo, 40 years old, Muhammad Yousef Khalil, 45 years old, Muhammad Hassan Jaafar, 43 years old), from the Jandairis district in the countryside of Afrin city, where they were arrested by the military police faction loyal to the Turkish army while returning from the city of Aleppo, where they were taken to an unknown location, and their fate remains unknown to this day.

Violations and crimes have continued in Afrin since the Turkish army and Syrian opposition factions invaded the Afrin region in the spring of 2018, including arbitrary arrests, forced detention, and imposing financial ransoms on the families of the kidnapped with the aim of forcing the original Kurdish population to emigrate in order to change the demographic composition of the Kurdish city.

Violations by the Syrian regime and its affiliated militias during October

The Syrian regime continues its terrorizing practices against Syrian citizens, including kidnapping, arbitrary arrest, and enforced disappearance in areas under its control.

On October 3, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights documented the killing of the elderly Abdul Latif Muhyi al-Din Abdul Hamid, 60 years old, from the village of al-Qasr in the countryside of the town of al-Atarib in the countryside of Aleppo Governorate, as a result of the missile shelling that his village was subjected to by regime forces.

On October 5, the arrest of (Youssef Ali al-Hourani and Muhammad Zaydan Rajih) from the town of Bada in Qalamoun in the Rif Dimashq Governorate was documented by regime forces, and they were taken to an unknown location. Their fate remains unknown until now. It is worth noting that the young man Muhammad Rajih is a former prisoner.

On October 7, 2024, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights documented the arrest of three civilians by Syrian regime forces in the Rif Dimashq Governorate.

Ayham Al-Darwish and Walid Wahid Hashem were arrested in the town of Sednaya at a checkpoint belonging to the regime forces in Sednaya roundabout, and the young man Badr Abdul Karim Ba’youn from the town of Rankous, who works in herding livestock, was also arrested. The detainees were transferred to the security branches in Damascus, and their fate remains unknown to date.

Al-Assad’s forces also arrested a young man from Idlib, upon his return from Lebanon at the (Dabbousiyeh) border crossing in the Homs countryside.

The Syrian Network for Human Rights said, “Shadi Muhammad Al-Shartah, from the town of Al-Bara in the southern Idlib countryside, born in 1990, was arrested by members of the Military Intelligence Division of the Syrian regime forces on 10-7-2024 at the (Dabbousiyeh) border crossing in the Homs governorate while returning from Lebanon to Syria, fleeing the Israeli airstrikes that targeted Lebanon, and took him to an unknown location.” In the context, the arrest of the young man Osama Mohsen Ghanem, 43 years old, was documented on 10-14-2024 by the security forces affiliated with the regime forces in the Al-Shaghour neighborhood in Damascus Governorate two weeks ago, and his fate is still unknown until now.

It is noteworthy that the young man comes from the town of Al-Mazraa in the countryside of Al-Suwayda Governorate and works as a bus driver in a transportation company. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights Network also documented on 10-14-2024 the arrest of the young man Ammar Diab from the town of Yabroud in the countryside of Damascus Governorate by a patrol affiliated with the military security affiliated with the regime forces, where he was arrested from his home and taken to an unknown location, and his fate is still unknown until now. It is noteworthy that the young man Ammar Diab comes from the town of Maaloula in the Qalamoun region.

On October 15, the killing of (the young man Muhammad Abdul Karim Ubaid, 23 years old, and the child Ibtisam Gabriel, a year and a half old) was documented, and several other people were injured in the town of Atarib in the countryside of Aleppo Governorate, as a result of the shelling of the town by regime forces and affiliated militias with heavy artillery.

Reports confirm that regime forces are carrying out random arrests without prior notice, using flimsy justifications, which is a blatant violation of international laws. These violations contradict relevant international resolutions, including resolutions 2139 and 2254, which aim to protect civilians and implement human rights standards.

Violations by Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham during October

On 8/10/2024, the arrest of political activist Mahmoud Nasr Abu al-Nasr from the town of Qorqania in the countryside of Idlib Governorate was documented, by members of the General Security Service affiliated with Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham, and his being taken to an unknown location. His fate remains unknown to date.

It is noteworthy that the young man Mahmoud Nasr Abu Al-Nasr was arrested due to his participation in protests against the organization.

The arrest of media activist Abdul Aziz Al-Hassi was documented on 10-14-2024, in the city of Idlib by the General Security Forces affiliated with Hay’at Tahrir Al-Sham and his being taken to an unknown location, and his fate remains unknown until now.

It is noteworthy that the young man Abdul Aziz is from Homs Governorate and resides with his family in the city of Idlib.