Human Rights Watch: National Army committed war crimes Turkey ignores it

Human Rights Watch has called for an investigation into human rights abuses committed by the so-called Turkish National Army during their recent attacks on NE, Syria, which in many cases constitute war crimes, and to ensure that those responsible are held accountable.

Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East director at Human Rights Watch, said: “Executions, looting of property, and preventing the return of displaced people to their homes are compelling evidence that the proposed safe areas of Turkey will not be safe, contrary to the Turkish version that its operation would establish a buffer zone, the groups it uses to rule the area commit abuses against civilians and discriminate on ethnic grounds.

"Since the start of the incursion, Turkey and factions supported by civilian areas have been indiscriminately bombed and carried out at least seven extra-judicial killings," the organization said.  The private homes and shops of civilians were illegally occupied and looted, and they did not explain the forcible disappearance of aid workers while working in their areas.

Human Rights Watch interviewed 10 members, including two doctors and three relatives of the victims, to document these abuses. On 11 October, videos and photos, some of which were posted by the Syrian National Army mercenaries, appeared on social media showing that the army elements were shooting at a person who was lying motionless and did not appear to pose any threat, standing on someone else's body in a humiliating manner.

Human Rights Watch documented the execution of Kurdish political activist Hevrin Khalaf and examined what happened to three Kurdish Red Crescent aid workers missing in areas controlled by mercenaries of the Syrian National Army. Including what appears to be the unlawful killing of at least one person and Human Rights Watch interviewed three relatives and colleagues who confirmed the identity of the victims and the circumstances of their deaths.

Human Rights Watch also interviewed, between November 6 and 11, five civilians in response who said that armed group forces occupied their homes and other property and prevented them or their families from arbitrarily returning.

"Turkey ignores the disgraceful behavior of its armed factions, as long as Turkey controls these areas, it has a responsibility to investigate and stop these abuses," Whitson said.

Illegal executions and enforced disappearances

The video reviewed by Human Rights Watch shows men standing around the body of a woman whose relatives and activists confirmed to be Havrin Khalaf.

In another video, armed men identifying themselves as elements of the Syrian National Army mercenaries can be seen firing machine guns at a person on the side of the road. Bilencat's open-source investigation has identified that the Eastern Free mercenaries were executing Havrin Khalaf and the murder shown in the second video.

In another case, a relative of the three Kurdish Red Crescent volunteers and two colleagues told them that a faction of the national army they could not identify told them that they had detained the volunteers on 11 October.

A doctor who worked at the hospital where they worked told Human Rights Watch that he had lost contact with the volunteer team - an ambulance driver and two nurses - who went to the town of Salouk to provide medical services after the October 11 attack.

The driver's uncle said the driver's brother sent a text message to his phone on October 14, answering a person who identified himself as a member of the National Army mercenaries, with a message saying that the driver was dead, sent him a photo of the body and both the relative of the ambulance driver and his colleague were checking from that photo was him.

Confiscation of property, looting, preventing the return of the Kurdish population

Human Rights Watch interviewed two people who said forces identified them as National Army mercenaries occupied and looted their property.

The organization said mercenaries of the National Army killed three men who were trying to return to their homes in Ras al-Ain because they were in response.

Three Kurds living in Tel Abyad who were displaced by the fighting on 9 October confirmed that their property was illegally occupied and said that their Arab neighbors had contacted them and told them that their homes had been looted, and that National Army fighters had lived in their homes or housed displaced Arab families between them. October 14 and 18.

(T/S)

ANHA