Org reveals statistics of Turkish occupation's crimes in Afrin over 3 years

The Human Rights Organization  Afrin - Syria revealed special statistics for ANHA about the violations and crimes of the Turkish occupation army and its mercenaries since the occupation of Afrin on March 18, 2018.

The organization confirmed that the Turkish occupation and its mercenaries have forcibly displaced more than 300,000 Afrin citizens to al-Shahba canton, noting that the displacement is still continuing until this moment by strangling those who remained in Afrin, in order to settle the mercenaries' families and families from various Syrian regions.

According to the organization, the percentage of Kurds in Afrin under the Turkish occupation and its mercenaries does not exceed 23% in the major demographic changes that Syria has witnessed since the beginning of the crisis in 2011, based on a consensus between the Turkish occupation and some regional and international powers.

Settling more than 400,000 settlers in Afrin and accelerating demographic change processes

The organization indicated that the occupation has settled more than 400,000 settlers throughout the villages of Afrin districts, brought by Turkey from most of the Syrian regions, especially in the southern countryside of Idlib, Aleppo and Eastern Ghouta in Damascus.

The organization touched on the systematic demographic change processes that Turkey is following in Afrin, as it has changed the identity of Afrin and its landmarks to the Turkish identity by replacing the names of streets, squares and public facilities with Turkish names, raising the Turkish flag and pictures of "Erdogan" in every village, district and city center, in addition to to teach Turkish language in schools.

This coincided with the Turkish occupation's tampering with the holy places and the destruction of Yezidis' religious cemeteries.

In a series of demographic changes, the occupation forced the people to issue Turkish identification cards for Syrian civilians in the occupied areas.

Perhaps the most common practices that the Turkish occupation and its mercenaries have committed against Afrin people are kidnappings and killings.

Abducting more than 7,754 citizens, in addition to dozens of women in three years

In this context, the organization confirmed that the Turkish occupation kidnapped more than 7,754 civilians during the three years of occupation, noting that the fate of more than half of them is still unknown, not to mention that Kurdish civilians have been repeatedly kidnapped for financial ransom which was described by Afrin residents as "profitable trade" for the Turkish occupation and its mercenaries.

The largest share of these violations and crimes was for women in Afrin, where the Human Rights Organization documented 83 cases of murder, including 5 suicide cases of women and 70 cases of rape, not to mention the attacks that women are exposed to on a daily basis in public.

646 civilians were killed and 705 others were injured

As for killings, the Turkish occupation killed more than 646 civilians, among them 500 lost their lives as a result of the Turkish bombardment, and more than 82 who lost their lives under torture, in addition to documenting 705 injuries, including 306 injured children and 216 women.

About booby-traps and landmines, the organization said that there were 214 cases of explosion via booby-traps and landmines.

More than 327,330 olive trees and forest trees were cut down and more than 17,000 trees were burned

Regarding the felling of trees by the Turkish occupation and its mercenaries, the organization revealed statistics of approximately 327,330 olive trees and forest trees, and the burning of more than 17,000 olive trees and various forest trees, in addition to burning more than a third of the area allocated for agriculture, which is estimated at more than 11,600 hectares since the occupation of Afrin city until this moment, the seizure of thousands of homes of forcibly displaced civilians, and the transformation of dozens of them into prisons, detention centers and headquarters belonging to the mercenaries of the Turkish occupation, in addition to selling and buying them.

Perhaps the most material damage and looting that the Turkish occupation and its mercenaries have committed is the seizure of the olive crop and its export to Turkey through al-Hamam village border crossing in Janers district, which Turkey established in 2020 to facilitate the process of crossing the olive crop and stolen goods, and selling  as a Turkish product in international markets, including Spain and America.

Destroying archaeological sites

According to what the organization quoted from statistics of the Directorate of Antiquities in Afrin, there are about 96 archaeological hills in Afrin, where most of these archaeological sites were subjected to excavations, in search of antiquities and archaeological finds.

According to the statistics of the Directorate of Antiquities in Afrin, more than 28 archaeological sites and warehouses were vandalized and destroyed, in addition to more than 15 religious shrines of various sects and religions, not to mention the bulldozing of many graveyards and turning one of them into a livestock market.

Report of Turkish occupation and mercenaries' violations and crimes during 2020

According to the organization, the Turkish occupation killed 58 citizens, among them 9 women.

The abduction of 976 citizens, including 88 women, cutting down more than 70,000 olive trees and uprooting thousands as a result of the construction of new roads linking Janders with the Turkish state of Hatay, in addition to burning large areas of agricultural land.

Excavation, bulldozing, vandalising and theft of nearly 50 archaeological sites

Explosions and booby-traps: 39 explosions resulted in the loss and injury of more than 170 citizens.

The seizure of more than 250 homes and properties for the forcibly displaced.

Report of Turkish occupation and mercenaries' violations and crimes during 6 months of 2021

35 civilians, including 9 women and 13 children were killed. 303 citizens, including 25 women, in addition to a baby girl were kidnapped. 13,230 trees were cut down, more than 5,000 trees were burned, and more than 11,000 trees were seized.

18 archaeological sites were destroyed, vandalised and looted, aboriginal people's property were seized, royalties imposed and theft.

The Human Rights Organization Afrin - Syria said that since the beginning of this year, the Turkish occupation and its mercenaries have intensified their targeting of the villages of al-Shahba canton and Sherawa district.

On January 23rd of this year, the Turkish occupation and its mercenaries committed a massacre against four citizens, including a woman and two children.

On the 4th of June, the Turkish occupation targeted Sherawa district, which resulted in a girl loss of life and the injury of two others.

On the 13th of the same month, the Turkish occupation and its mercenaries re-targeted the villages of Sherawa district with artillery shells, wounding three civilians.

D.H

ANHA