A panorama of violations during May 2024 in areas of influence and control in Syria

In addition to the difficult economic and living situation of the majority of citizens in Syrian Kurdistan and in the areas controlled by the Syrian Democratic Forces in northern Syria, coinciding with the spread of corruption and nepotism in the administration of the Democratic Union Party, and in an attempt by the de facto authority to end political life by committing more violations, especially against the National Council The Kurds in Syria, their political parties, and their supporters, which revolve around arbitrary arrests, forced detention, and the burning of party headquarters. The same applies to the kidnapping of minors, male and female, as their forcible recruitment and placement in camps continues.

Arbitrary arrests targeted members of the Khunaf folklore band in Amuda, who are members of the Amuda organization of the Kurdistan Yekiti Party – Syria. On April 21, 2024, an armed group kidnapped the theater critic Nasser Jaro while he was heading from his village of Zubaiya to the city of Amuda to perform his work related to the harvest, and his fate remains unchanged. Anonymously, the General Secretariat of the Kurdish National Council in Syria issued a statement in which it condemned Jaro’s arrest in the strongest terms. It stressed that these violations serve the enemies of the Kurdish people, and called on all political parties, civil society organizations, the Kurdish people, and human rights organizations to condemn these intimidating practices.

The Kurdish Council called on the international coalition to fight ISIS, led by the United States of America, to exert the necessary pressure to stop these violations against the Kurdish National Council, nd the release of the Council’s detainees in PYD prisons.

The Kurdistan Yekiti Party organized a protest in the city of Amuda to demand that Nasser Jaro’s fate be revealed. Political Committee member Zakia Rasul, in a speech during the protest, demanded the immediate release of Nasser Jaro and all political detainees, and to stop arresting activists and politicians.

On May 9, the campaign of arrests by Democratic Union Party militants targeted a group of members of the Khunaf band, namely: Majdal Daham Haj Qasim, head of the Khunaf folklore band in the city of Amuda, upon his return to his village of Karnako, and Saad Kawa Kunersh (18 years old), a member of the group. The Khounaf band, upon his return from school, and Saleh Jamil Bakari (17 years old), a member of the Khunaf folklore band, upon his return from school.

The General Secretariat of the Kurdish Council issued a statement in which it confirmed that these violations come at a time when “our people are raising their voices loudly, calling on the Kurdish political parties to unify their position to confront the dangers facing the region, as well as against international efforts in this regard. The continuation of these violations only serves the enemies of the Kurdish people, and their purpose is to block the path to “Any efforts to unify the Kurdish position.” The Kurdish Council called for the immediate release of those arrested from the Khunaf folklore band and all detainees of the Kurdish National Council. It also called on all human rights and humanitarian organizations and coalition countries, most notably the United States, to exert serious pressure on the “SDF” to stop these violations and desist. The hands of the PYD militants and its security services are off the necks and pens of our people.

During the months of April and May, the kidnapping of a group of minors in areas controlled by the Syrian Democratic Forces by the Revolutionary Youth Organization (Ciwanên Şoreşger), affiliated with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, was documented: Erbil Zuhair Sheikho from the Ashrafieh neighborhood in the city of Aleppo on April 26.

Silva Othman Khallo evacuated on April 27 from areas under joint control between the Syrian regime army and the People’s Protection Units in the Sherawa area in the Afrin countryside. Amed Muhammad Khalil, dated April 27, from the city of Raqqa, and hails from the city of Kobani. Noura Omar Muqtad, born on May 5, is from the Tal Rifaat region and hails from the Afrin region. Aisha Barakat, at the beginning of May, from the villages of Sherawa district, which is under joint control between the Syrian regime army and the People’s Protection Units. Nour Al-Aloush, on May 15, from the city of Al-Shaddadi, south of Al-Hasakah.

Violations by Democratic Union Party militants affected the office of the Kurdistan Democratic Party in the city of Qamishlo on May 14, and after stealing its contents, the militants burned the office completely. The Council described the burning of the office as a terrorist act, and stressed that it has become clear to everyone that these actions aim to block the path to American efforts. And the European Union to restore the Kurdish-Kurdish dialogue, which was launched under American sponsorship and with the guarantee of the SDF leadership, in April 2020 and was blown up by the PYD.
On May 16, Democratic Union Party militants attacked the Tal Tamr local office of the Kurdish National Council and took down the flag from the flagpole.

Violations by pro-Turkey armed factions against the Kurds in Afrin during the month of May

Armed factions loyal to Turkey are still committing violations against Kurdish citizens in the Afrin region and its countryside in Syrian Kurdistan, including kidnapping, arrests, and many others, in order to push citizens to emigrate and bring about demographic change in the Kurdish city.

A Kurdish young man was injured by a stray bullet in the head in the village of Jalmi in the city of Afrin in Syrian Kurdistan on May 1, 2024.

Yekiti Media’s correspondent in Afrin said: “The young man, Muhammad Ahmed Aliko, 19 years old, was hit by a stray bullet in the head.”

He also explained that “the gunshot was fired by an Arab person from a pistol, after a dispute between two families (Kurdish and Arab) in the village.”

Our website’s correspondent added, “The young man, Aliko, was taken to the hospital. Doctors say that if the bullet is removed from his head, he may go crazy or die.”

In a different context, armed factions loyal to Turkey kidnapped 5 Kurdish citizens in the Afrin region and its countryside during the month of May 2024.

On Wednesday, May 1, members of the Civil Police faction, present at the checkpoint of the village of Saju in Azaz, kidnapped the citizen Khalil Anwar Hassan, 36 years old, from the village of Dikmadash in the Sharan district, while he was accompanying the family to see a doctor, on charges of performing compulsory service during the control of the Democratic Union Party (PYD), and he was taken to an unknown destination without knowing his fate yet.

It is noteworthy that citizen Khalil had previously been kidnapped in early 2019 by members of the Al-Jabha Al-Shamiya faction for a period of approximately twenty days, on the same charge, but he was forced to pay a financial ransom in exchange for his release at that time.

On Monday, May 6, members of the Military Police faction in the city of Afrin kidnapped the citizen Muhammad Muhammad Barakat, 46 years old, from the village of Kokaniyeh, in Maabatli district, in the Mahmoudiya neighborhood of the city, on charges of standing guard shifts during a period of control. The PYD administration took him to an unknown destination without knowing his fate yet.

It is noteworthy that citizen Muhammad recently returned to the Afrin region, coming from Lebanon.

In this context, on Thursday, May 9, members of the military police faction in the city of Afrin kidnapped the citizen Rashid Hassan, nicknamed Abu Farhad, 42 years old, from the village of Qartqalaq in the Sharan district, while he was visiting the transportation department in the city’s local council and registering a car in his name. On charges of collecting taxes and financial fees for the benefit of the municipality during the control of the PYD administration.

On May 20, members of the Military Police faction arrested Faiq Ismail and Ismail Suleiman Bilal in the village of Sheikh Muhammadli (Maydaniyat) in Raju district.
A local source explained, “They were charged with dealing with the administration of the Democratic Union Party (PYD).”

He added, “These citizens have no connection to the PYD administration” noting that “the goal of the arrests is to collect financial ransom from them.”

In another context, on Sunday, May 19, 2024, gunmen attacked a citizen of Afrin who works in the field of exchange, stole the money he had in his possession, and ran him over with a car.

A Yekiti Media correspondent said: “An unknown armed group riding in a Jeep car (Santa Fe) blocked the path of the Kurdish citizen, Muhammad Hamo Khurshid, on Sunday, while he was heading to work in the Jindires district center.

Our correspondent explained that “Khurshid was taken to the hospital after he was run over by the gunmen, and they also stole the money he had in his possession.”

According to our correspondent, Khurshid, 69 years old, comes from the village of Goran in the Jindires district of Afrin countryside.
It should be noted that crimes and violations have continued in the Afrin region and its countryside since the Turkish army, with the participation of factions loyal to it, invaded the region since the spring of 2018.

Violations by the security branches of the Syrian regime against citizens during the month of May.

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

A citizen from the city of Al-Sanamayn, north of Daraa, was martyred under torture in the (notorious) Saydnaya military prison after 5 years of detention.

Thus, the number of those whose martyrdom was documented by human rights organizations under torture inside the security detention centers of the Syrian regime since the beginning of 2024 has risen to 24, including a political activist, a university student, a writer, and an engineer.

In another context, on May 20, patrol members of the regime forces arbitrarily arrested a citizen after raiding his house in the town of Madaya in the Damascus countryside, and took him to a security branch, and his fate remains unknown until now.
On May 2, local sources indicated that two civilians were arbitrarily arrested, in a raid carried out by a joint patrol between Military Intelligence and Criminal Security in the town of Flita in the Qalamoun region in the Damascus countryside. The raid also included several neighborhoods in the town amid a heavy deployment of elements accompanied by two officers. The detainees were taken to an unknown destination without knowing their fate.

On May 22, the regime’s security services arbitrarily arrested a woman from the city of Al-Harak, east of Daraa, without knowing the charges against her, after she visited her father, who was detained in Adra prison on the outskirts of the eastern Ghouta of Damascus, and her fate remains unknown until now.

The regime continues to detain tens of thousands of detainees in prisons and security branches within areas under its control, many of whom have been detained for more than 10 years.