Turkish occupation seizes thousands of homes in occupied Afrin

The Human Rights Organization – Afrin, Syria, has documented the continued violations and war crimes committed by the Turkish occupation and its mercenaries. 

Ibrahim Sheikho, Director of the Afrin-based Human Rights Organization, affirmed that factions such as the “Hamzat,” “Amshat,” and the “Joint Force” continue to perpetrate grave abuses, despite claims by the so-called Transitional Government Ministry of Defense that these groups were integrated under its authority. Violations include abductions, extortion, property seizures, and arbitrary arrests.

According to the organization’s 2025 statistics, more than 311 people were abducted, including 26 women and 6 children, alongside 41 documented deaths and over 40 cases of physical assault. Around 700 detainees were also transferred from Afrin prisons to al-Rai and Hoor Kilis prisons.

The violations extend to the environment and public property. More than seven forested sites were cut down or burned, and 2,235 fruit-bearing trees—mostly centuries-old olive trees—were uprooted, representing a flagrant violation of the population’s environmental and economic rights.

In the village of Ali Jaro, more than 1,000 olive trees were confiscated, their trunks marked with blue paint to indicate seizure, even though their rightful owner still resides in the village.

Residents are reportedly forced to pay up to $4 per olive tree in order to reclaim them.

Sheikho explained that, in an attempt to whitewash the situation, the so-called Transitional Government formed an “Economic Committee” ostensibly tasked with restoring property.

However, mercenaries-run offices created bureaucratic obstacles and imposed impossible conditions—such as documents that are difficult to obtain during wartime and mandatory “security studies” that often result in property confiscation.

Sheikho further noted: “Despite the promises made by Ahmad al-Shar’a, head of the Transitional Government in Syria, to ensure stability and protect civilians, these promises remain on paper only. The dominance of militias and the widespread presence of weapons make the government incapable of recovering looted property or enforcing security.”

It is noteworthy that the March 10 agreement between the Syrian Democratic Forces and the Transitional Government contained eight clauses, most prominently the guarantee of displaced persons’ return and protection.

Yet, Sheikho underlined that this clause remains impossible to implement in the absence of a safe environment and amid the ongoing seizure of more than 5,000 homes and hundreds of shops in Afrin, including 600 on Rajo Street, now under the control of “Ahrar al-Sharqiya” mercenaries.

a.k

ANHA