Bakr Alo: Demographic change aims to eradicate Afrinian people

Between 16 and 18 March 2018, the people of Afrin were forced to leave Afrin and to flee to al-Shahba canton, following increased brutality and the crimes of the Turkish occupation and its mercenaries, derived from international silence and humanitarian and human rights organizations, to take the first step towards the forced displacement of the inhabitants and the start of the project for demographic change.

The co-chair of the Executive Council of Afrin canton, Bakr Alo, explained that the Turkish occupation had been put forward three stages before the implementation of its plan to change the demography of the canton. First, the forced exodus of the residents by launching barbaric military attacks, second, committing horrible crimes such as, abduction, rape, and murder to intimidate the remaining inhabitants, and third, the establishment of settlement units in the villages and parts of the canton.

 Bakr Alo said that” As, it is well known internationally, that demographic change is considered a crime against humanity and war crime, what has done in Afrin since the brutal aggression has so far risen to the level of genocide against the Afrin people.”

Articles 6-7-8 of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court of 1998 and article 49 of the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949 and the Protocols thereto provide for the displacement and removal of indigenous peoples from their territory as part of a massive and barbaric attack that constitutes a crime against humanity and war crimes.

He went on to say "Before the aggression, the proportion of Kurds in Afrin was 95%. The rest was distributed between Turkmen and Arabs. After the aggression, the displacement of Afrin people and the practice of Turkish occupation through its mercenaries and intelligence services, the most heinous crimes against the remaining people were reduced to less than 25% in Afrin, and the settlement of other families from Qalamun, Ghouta and Homs instead of the indigenous people."

After the occupation of Afrin, the Turkish occupation army and its mercenaries practised the most heinous kind of crimes against the people in the service of a policy of demographic change, using the machine of killing, kidnapping and rape in its prisons throughout Afrin's entire geography.

The Turkish occupation and its mercenaries have taken over educational, health and economic institutions, imposed Turkish language instead of Kurdish, and imposed Turkish lira instead of Syrian lira. as well as changing the names of villages and public arenas.

Regarding the construction of settlements, Bakr Alo said, “In the hands of the Turkish intelligence (MIT) and the support of the countries of Kuwait and Qatar, and under humanitarian and religious names, these parties seek to obliterate the history of the people of Afrin, especially ending the existence of the Yazidi community by building those settlements in their villages and building mosques in them, the Turkish occupation built dozens of settlements in many villages in Afrin, especially in Yazidi villages, including Shadera village, in which a settlement and mosques were built, and Quran memorization courses were opened.

He spoke of the resistance of Afrin people in camps and semi destroyed houses "for almost 4 years, Afrin people have been living in difficult conditions in camps and semi destroyed houses because they know that the first step to the liberation of Afrin begins from al-Shahba and from their resistance in the difficult conditions they are going through."

"Since we left al-Shahba canton, we have made the choice of resistance to liberate Afrin, the parties have sought to weaken that resistance through constant barbaric bombardment by the Turkish occupation and its mercenaries, massacres against the people, and a severe blockade by the Damascus Government that prevents the passage of essential items of human life."

He called on the people of Afrin to step up their struggle and resistance in the camps, to confront the difficulties and plans of occupation in a spirit of resistance, to defame the crimes of the Turkish occupation and its mercenaries committed in Afrin, and not to be dragged behind false calls to return to Afrin with false guarantees "because we return to Afrin is our priority sooner or later."

In conclusion, he appealed to humanitarian and human rights organizations and the Security Council to fulfil their humanitarian obligations and to stop Turkey's policy of demographic change in Afrin and to hold it accountable for its crimes.

T/S

ANHA