To steal thousands of dollars, Turkey's officers and soldiers exploit abductees in Afrin

According to information revealed by the Violations Documentation Center, the mercenaries of the Turkish occupation state, in addition to Turkish soldiers and officers, have turned Afrin, occupied since 2018, into an arena for looting money and property, which has recently escalated significantly, with the absence of international accountability for the massacres committed against civilians, nature and Kurdish culture there.

Abduction and torture of civilians

Field sources indicate that Turkey's mercenaries the "National Army" target civilians who have property and remained in Afrin, by kidnapping and torturing them in brutal ways, where they are held in prisons with harsh humanitarian conditions.

Purpose of abduction

The human rights center stresses that "the main goal of these kidnappings is to prevent the people from returning to their homes and lands, and to ensure the continuation of the absolute control of mercenaries over the area, in addition, kidnappings are used as a means to extort families and demand a large ransom used to finance these mercenaries, and eyewitnesses stated that this ransom may sometimes reach huge sums, which constitutes a great burden on families seeking to release their families."

The center notes that the violations do not stop on Turkey's mercenaries, but "the evidence indicates the involvement of the Turkish occupation itself in these illegal acts. Soldiers and commanders in the Turkish army, due to the deteriorating economic conditions in Turkey and the collapse of the lira's value, have resorted to using kidnappings as a way to make money, through local brokers, bribes are paid in some cases up to $11,000 per kidnapper."

Covert and complex operations

In its report, the center' jurists confirm that these operations are conducted in complete secrecy under the supervision of high-ranking officers in the Turkish occupation army, where a network of mercenaries is used to carry out kidnappings and extortion, in addition, officers benefit from its mercenaries to cover their illegal activities.

Smuggling Syrians across the border

The report of the Center also confirms that the exploitation of Turkish occupation army officers is not limited to kidnappings only, but also extends to smuggling Syrians across the border in various ways, noting that Syrians are smuggled through the officers' own cars or through border control points, in coordination with the Turkish gendarmerie, and that these operations are carried out through a complex network, where Turkish occupation army officers receive amounts ranging from 4 to 7 thousand dollars to smuggle one person.

The Center noted that these ongoing violations put the international community in front of a great responsibility to intervene immediately to stop these crimes, ensure the protection of civilians in Afrin, and hold accountable all those involved in these inhumane acts, and human rights organizations must document these crimes and work to deliver the voice of the victims to international platforms, to ensure justice and end the suffering of the Syrian people in this region.

Sh-S

ANHA