Yekîtî: UN must send special committees to Afrin to investigate Turkish violations

NEWS DESK

The Kurdish Democratic Unity Party (Yekîtî) in Syria presented a memorandum to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, the UN Envoy to Syria Mr. Staffane de Mistura, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Mr. Zeid Raad al-Hussein, International Independent Investigation Commission on the Syrian Arab Republic , The Human Rights Council of the United Nations, the Foreign Ministers of the United States of America, the Russian Federation, the European Union, the People's Republic of China, the United Kingdom, the Arab Republic of Egypt, the Arab League, the Syrian, regional and international organizations that are concerned to the Human Rights, international public opinion and all defenders of the values of justice and freedom and equality.

The text of memorandum included:

"The Turkish armed forces with armed Syrian factions, including radical Islamic factions launched an unjustified and illegal military attack by invading the international border (Turkish-Syrian) and attacking the territories of a neighboring state without the consent of the Syrian government. The Syrian area of Afrin that is known historically of its Kurdish population and located northwest of Aleppo was occupied under the pretext of the Turkish National Security, knowing that the Turkish government is unable to prove the incident of one attack from this safe area towards the Turkish territories in a frantic attempt to strike the historical existence of the Kurds and their constructive role on the one hand, and to achieve expansionist ambitions to Turkey in the Syrian lands on the other hand.

The Turkish occupation forces and the Syrian factions working under its command, since 20/1/2018 until the control of Afrin city in 18/03/2018 and until the moment, have committed war crimes against humanity and systematic violations, summarized as follows:

- They Killed and injured thousands of civilians including dozens of children, women and the elderly, and arrested some of them, in addition to the total or partial destruction of the population houses and public facilities.

- As a result of the indiscriminate shelling of land and air, at least 200,000 Kurds have been displaced from Afrin area. They suffer severely in the areas of Aleppo countryside, and their humanitarian situation is tragic.

- Planned and extensive looting included the contents of the people's houses, shops, and warehouses, and this is documented in many media and Human Rights’ reports.

-  The demographic change and forcing settlement operations in Afrin and its villages continue as thousands of families have been accommodated in the houses of Afrin residents who are prohibited from returning to their homes. Most of these families were brought from al-Ghouta, al-Damir and other areas, and from the camps of Azaz and Idlib.

- The intentional targeting of the national particularities of the area included the attack on the symbols and landmarks of the cultural specificity of the Kurdish people.

- Arbitrary arrests, torture cases, kidnapping journalists and activists from Afrin and taking them to unknown destinations.

Spreading the culture of racism, hatred, religious and sectarian extremism in the society, and issuing extreme and demeaning descriptions against the area’s population such as pigs, atheists and infidels to justify their aggression on them and stealing their properties.

- There is almost complete paralysis in the economic, industrial and agricultural fields, where labor and expertise have been abandoned and the soap industry stopped, the clothing workshops, the industrialization and the repair of the machinery have been stopped also

- Low level of services in general, and the general health situation in Afrin suffers from destitution and lack of potential due to lack of medical staff and the closure of private hospitals that have been referred to the license again in Turkey.

The schools, institutes, the University of Afrin, and the institutes of music, drawing and languages have always been stopped since the beginning of the Afrin invasion. The students lost their chances of getting a decent education and developing their talents. The children suffered from panic, loss and low health care.

Ladies and Gentlemen:

According to facts documented, the residents’ lives in Afrin area under the Turkish occupation’s control, as well as the lives of displaced persons in the areas of al-Shahba, Tel Rifat, Deir Jamal, Nebul, Zahra towns, Samaan and Lilon Mountains’ villages and Rubaria-Shirawa - north of Aleppo and their people’s lives are at great risk,.

If we compare the conditions in Afrin area and its inhabitants today to the previous days of the aggression and occupation where security and stability amid the violence and destruction in northern Syria and Aleppo as the area was a safe haven for nearly half a million Syrian people fleeing the hell of violence in the countryside of Aleppo and Idleb areas. The Turkish state and the Syrian factions which are instructed by it committed a great crime against the area of Afrin and its inhabitants. Whoever remained in Afrin are being dealt with as hostages by the occupation authorities, and Afrin has been turned into a large prison after the residents’ properties have been looted.

We appeal to the United Nations and its affiliated institutions to send special committees to the area to investigate violations and crimes, and to examine the effects of the occupation, as well as the suffering of the displaced people. We call upon you to put pressure on the Turkish government to stop all violations, and to remove the mines and remnants of the battles.

Those responsibilities laid down in the international instruments and the main rules of the Hague Regulations of 1907  (Articles 42-56) and the Fourth Geneva Convention (Fourth Geneva Convention, articles 27-34 and 47-78), as well as some provisions of Additional Protocol I and customary international humanitarian law, notably.

Be supporters to right and justice.

A.H

ANHA