Turkey continues to commit war crimes in occupied Afrin

Since its occupation on March 18, 2018, Turkey and its mercenaries have committed various war crimes, including killing and kidnapping of civilians, and the destruction of the environment and antiquities.

International law criminalizes theft of antiquities as a war crime. However, it keeps silent about the repeated Turkish crimes in the occupied canton.

International law standards stipulate: that they and their surroundings must not be exposed to destruction, and it is forbidden to steal, plunder and dispel historical antiquities and destroy them, not to seize the movable ones, and to prevent measures of retaliation for antiquities. The occupying state is obligated not to violate them, and allow the state under the occupation is to exercise its right to protect its antiquities.

International law considers attacking historical monuments a war crime, and international criminal law, as well as the 1954 Hague Convention, and the Geneva Convention and its two protocols have shown that if the assault is committed intentionally, so that attacks are directed at buildings dedicated to historical monuments, and an attack on protected civilian objects is a war crime.

The Director of Antiquities for Afrin region documented that 13 archaeological hills were robbed and bulldozed with heavy machinery last November by the Turkish occupation army and its mercenaries.

A member of the Antiquities Directorate of Afrin region, said, “During November, we documented 13 archaeological hills in Afrin canton came under destruction. "

According to the directorate, the hillsare Tal al-Sheikh Abd al-Rahman, the village of Iskeh, Tal Farrak, in the village of al-Fuririya in Jindersse district and Tal Kashour in the village of Surka, and Tal Hussein Nasser in the village of Qara Baba, Rajo district, and in Afrin city center, Tel Jumka, Hill of Qebar Village, Hill of Tal Tawil Village, Hill of Marata Village, Hill of Kafr Rumah, and Tel Gomkeh and Khaziana village belonging to Mobata sub-district, and Tal Abush in the village of Kamruk.

Sino pointed out that the deliberate sabotage and theft of archaeological sites aims to "erase Afrin's history in harmony with the policy of demographic change in the region."

Sino criticized the international organizations concerned with protecting antiquities, and pointed out their poor response to the calls made to protect the antiquities of Afrin from theft and vandalism.

ANHA