Statements in Rojava cities condemn attacks on returnees of Girê Spî

In condemnation of the attacks against displaced people returning to the city of Girê Spî/Tal Abyad yesterday, cities across Rojava witnessed numerous protest activities today.

Qamishlo

In the city of Qamishlo, the Popular Initiative issued a statement in front of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) building, in the presence of representatives of the Martyrs’ Families Council, the Kongra Star movement and students from the city. The statement was read in Arabic by Ibtisam al-Hussein and in Kurdish by Rojin Mohammed Musa.

The initiative strongly condemned the attacks against those returning to Girê Spî, considering the targeting and intimidation of returnees a violation of human rights and an infringement of their right to return, live in safety and stability, and protect their property.

It warned that these practices threaten civil peace and exacerbate the suffering of civilians seeking to rebuild their lives and achieve stability in their areas.

The initiative called on the relevant authorities to immediately halt the attacks, provide the necessary protection for returnees, launch a serious and transparent investigation, hold those responsible accountable, and ensure that such incidents are not repeated. It stressed that safe return is a fundamental right and that genuine stability cannot be achieved without respecting human dignity, protecting civilians, and upholding justice and accountability. It concluded by reaffirming that “there can be no safe return without protection, and no justice without accountability.”

Girkê Legê

In the city of Girkê Legê, the Popular Initiative issued a statement in front of the city council, read by Idris Mulla Sharif, co-chair of the Democratic Union Party’s office in the city, condemning the attacks targeting displaced people from Girê Spî who were returning to their city.

The statement noted that, following the fall of the Baath regime, the Kurdish and Arab peoples, along with all the peoples and components of Syria, had hoped to build a democratic state based on justice and equality, where everyone’s rights would be safeguarded and all citizens could live in freedom and security.

The statement accused those espousing Baathist ideology, along with groups linked to ISIS mercenaries, of seeking to destabilise Syria through practices that threaten civil peace and obstruct stability. It stressed that the attacks on displaced people from Girê Spî run counter to Syrians’ aspirations to build a democratic state founded on freedom and justice and respectful of the rights of all its components.

The statement called on the transitional government, as the ruling authority, to assume its responsibilities, put an end to the attacks, hold those responsible accountable, and prevent extremist and chauvinist groups from continuing practices that threaten residents’ security and the region’s stability. It also called for serious steps to strengthen coexistence and build a shared democratic Syria that guarantees freedom, justice and rights for all its peoples and components.

Derik

In the city of Derik, the Council of Martyrs' Families condemned the attacks against residents of Girê Spî who were returning to their homes, issuing a statement in Martyrs' Square that was attended by dozens of relatives of martyrs and school students.

The statement, read by Mahmoud Rasoul, a member of the Council of Martyrs' Families in Derik, noted that the Council followed the attack on displaced persons from Gire Spî as they were returning to their homes with "profound sadness and great anger." It pointed out that these individuals were besieged, and their vehicles and property were vandalized and destroyed, an act described as barbaric and contrary to moral and humanitarian values.

The Council strongly condemned the attack, labeling it a terrorist act and a crime that targets human dignity and the right to a safe return; it further held government authorities fully responsible for the safety and security of those returning, and for ensuring their protection.

It also called for an urgent and transparent investigation into the events, demanding that the perpetrators and all those involved in the assault be held accountable and brought to justice. Expressing his solidarity with the people of Girê Spî and all displaced persons, and stated that policies of intimidation and terror would not deter them from upholding their right to return and live with dignity on their own land.

Amuda

In the city of Amuda, a protest was held in front of the Women’s Roundabout, with the participation of the People’s Council, the Council of Martyrs’ Families, civil institutions, and local residents. The demonstration served to condemn the attacks against displaced persons from Girê Spî and to demand their protection, as well as the guarantee of their right to return to their homes and property.

Abdul Rahman Ibrahim Shahada, a member of the People’s Council in Amuda, read a statement to the public in which he condemned the attacks against displaced families., acts that included beatings, stone-throwing, the burning of vehicles, and the trapping of women and children inside administrative facilities.

The statement affirmed that these practices constitute a violation of human rights and threaten civil peace and coexistence. It held the controlling authorities and security forces responsible for protecting civilians, and called for an official, impartial investigation, the holding of those involved to account, and compensation for those affected.

It also called on international and human rights organizations to intervene urgently to provide protection for displaced persons, ensure their safe return to their home regions, and facilitate the recovery of their property. And emphasized that the right of return is a legitimate and legal right that does not lapse with the passage of time. Furthermore, it stressed the necessity of addressing this issue free from discrimination, exclusion, or retribution, and working toward the construction of a democratic, pluralistic, and decentralized Syria that embraces all its people.

Çil Agha

In the city of Çil Agha, the Popular Initiative issued a statement in front of the city council building, in the presence of representatives from civil institutions, the city council, the Council of Martyrs' Families, women's movements, political parties, religious institutions, and war-wounded individuals. The statement was read by Zozan Mohammed, an administrator in the city council.

The initiative condemned the inhumane and systematic attacks targeting a convoy of displaced people returning to their homes. The assaults, which struck civilians and their vehicles, including the burning of cars, left families stranded in the open, exposed to harsh conditions that threaten their safety and human dignity.

The statement emphasized that targeting civilian families, terrorizing children, women, and the elderly, burning their property, and displacing them constitute a grave violation of human rights and are practices that are unacceptable according to humanitarian and ethical standards.

The initiative called upon the relevant authorities, as well as humanitarian and human rights organizations, to fulfill their responsibilities and take urgent action to provide protection for returning civilians, ensure the safety of families, launch a serious investigation into the attacks, and hold those responsible accountable to prevent any recurrence.

In the conclusion of its statement, the initiative emphasized that the right to return home is an inviolable human right, and that human dignity, security, and safety must take precedence over all other considerations or disputes, asserting that the dignity and security of families constitute a "red line" that must not be crossed.

Hasakah

The Council of Martyrs' Families in the city of Hasakah has condemned the attacks targeting displaced persons who were returning to their homes in Girê Spî, calling for the protection of those returning, the initiation of an urgent and transparent investigation, and the holding of those involved accountable.

This came in a statement delivered in front of the council center in the city, in the presence of members of civil institutions, communes, and councils; it was read by Jihan Khalil in Arabic and Ilham Bakr in Kurdish.

The council stated that those returning were besieged, and that their vehicles and property were vandalized and destroyed. It described the assault as "a terrorist act and a heinous crime that targets human dignity and the right to a safe return home."

The Council held government authorities fully responsible for the security and safety of the returnees and for ensuring their protection, and called for all those involved in the attacks to be brought to justice as soon as possible.

And affirmed its solidarity with the people of Girê Spî and all displaced persons, stressing that policies of intimidation and terror would not deter them from upholding their right to return and live with dignity on their own land.

In this context, Kongra Star in the city of Hasakah issued a statement, which was read in front of the Martyrs' Families Council center in the city, in the presence of representatives from civil institutions, councils, and communes. The statement was read by Kongra Star member Jumana Ahmed

The statement called on the transitional government to fulfill its full legal and moral responsibilities toward the displaced, and to provide the necessary protection to ensure their safe return. It further urged the government to intervene immediately to resolve conflicts and to conduct a rigorous investigation into the "orchestrated threads of strife" currently being woven to undermine civil peace at this critical juncture.

Kongra Star warned that the current situation in the region represents "desperate attempts to incite sectarian and communal strife among the people of the same nation," while reaffirming the values ​​of coexistence and the brotherhood of peoples—(Arabs, Kurds, and Syriacs—)which serve as a bulwark against which all conspiracies are shattered.

In closing, the Star Conferenceit called on the transitional government to take urgent action to contain the current crisis and prevent further deterioration of the situation.

Tel Tamr

The Council of Martyrs' Families issued a statement, read by council member Mohammed Aliyat in the council’s garden, with the participation of the martyrs' relatives, members of civil society organizations, and representatives from political parties and women’s groups in the city.

The statement condemned the attack targeting displaced persons from the city of Gire Spi who were returning to their homes.

The Council called on government authorities to fulfill their responsibilities by ensuring the safety of the displaced persons and guaranteeing their right to a safe return. It further urged them to hold those involved in the attack accountable, provide necessary protection to the returnees, launch an urgent and transparent investigation to uncover the circumstances of the assault, and bring all those implicated to justice.

The Council of Martyrs' Families in Tel Tamer affirmed its solidarity with the people of Girê Spî and all displaced persons, emphasizing that acts of intimidation and terror will not deter them from upholding their right to return to their homes and live in dignity and safety.

Al-Darbasiyah

In the city of Al-Darbasiyah, the Popular Initiative issued a statement—read by Saud Ma’ish, a member of the Democratic Union Party (PYD)—at the city’s central marketplace. The event was attended by local residents, people from surrounding towns, and members of civil institutions and local councils.

The statement noted that the people of Rojava followed, with anger and condemnation, an assault targeting displaced residents of Girê Spî who were returning to their homes following years of occupation, oppression, threats, and looting. The attack involved the surround of unarmed civilians, the burning of their property, and the destruction of their vehicles, actions described in the statement as contrary to moral and humanitarian values.

The Popular Initiative, representing its various components and factions, affirmed its condemnation of this assault. It emphasized that a people who have sacrificed their own children to defend dignity and freedom, and to liberate regions from terrorism, cannot stand idly by while unarmed civilians are subjected to such violations.

The Popular Initiative called for an urgent and transparent investigation into the circumstances of the attack, demanding that those involved be held accountable and brought to justice. It further held the relevant authorities responsible for the safety and security of the returnees, urging that the necessary protection be provided to them.

The statement concluded by reaffirming solidarity with the people of Girê Spî and rejecting all attacks targeting civilians and their right to a safe return to their land and homes.

Tirbespiyê

In the city of Tirbespiyê, the local Popular Initiative issued a public statement, which was read by Barzan Salo, a member of the initiative, in the presence of local residents and representatives from civil society institutions. The statement emphasized that the attacks carried out against the displaced people of Girê Spî are attacks against the Kurdish people as a whole. It called for the perpetrators to be pursued and held accountable, and urged the transitional government to fulfill its responsibilities by ensuring the safe return of the displaced and guaranteeing their protection.

The initiative condemned these attacks, describing them as "brutal", and affirmed that the displaced people have the right to return to their homes in safety.

Sh-S

ANHA