Women's Council calls for holding Sheikh Maqsoud massacres' perpetrators accountable

The Women's Council of the Democratic Union Party (PYD) condemned the crimes and massacres committed by the mercenaries of the Interim Government against the residents of the Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafiyeh neighborhoods in Aleppo city, stressing the need to hold those responsible accountable.

This came in two separate statements issued on Tuesday, January 13, by the Women's Councils in the cities of Jel Agha, Qamishlo, ed-Dirbasiyah and Tel Brak in Jazira canton.

Jel Agha

The council member Wadha al-Ali read the statement of the Women's Council of the Democratic Union Party (PYD) in front of the party headquarters in the city center, in the presence of dozens of women, members of women's organizations, and female representatives of political parties.

The statement included, "As members of the Women's Council of the Democratic Union Party, it is our moral and humanitarian responsibility to condemn the violations and massacres perpetrated against the residents of the Sheikh Maqsoud, Ashrafiyeh, and Bani Zeid neighborhoods by the mercenaries of the Turkish army and factions of the Syrian Interim Government. These acts constitute a war crime committed against a people who used to live in stable conditions."

The statement indicated that the violations and massacres committed by the mercenaries are part of a war aimed at intimidating, terrorizing, and starving the population in order to undermine the women's will and the communities' unity that reject their policies, emphasizing that these violations only strengthen women's determination to continue the struggle and resistance until terrorism is defeated.

The statement praised the resilience of the two neighborhoods' residents, particularly the women of Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafiyeh, in the face of terrorism, and considered their resistance a continuation of the free women's struggle against injustice and tyranny.

The statement called upon the international community and human rights and women's organizations to assume their moral and legal responsibilities and to take immediate action to stop the violations, protect civilians, and hold the perpetrators accountable.

The women concluded the statement by chanting, "Women, Life, Freedom."

Qamishlo

The statement was read in front of the Democratic Union Party's headquarters in Qamishlo by the council members Farida Qasim in Kurdish and Houriyya Shamdin in Arabic.

The statement included, "Our people in the Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafiyeh neighborhoods have witnessed grave massacres and violations aimed at breaking the will of the people through a suffocating siege, bombardment, and direct attacks on civilians and residential areas."

The statement added, "The bloody events and the martyrs and wounded they left behind, in addition to the abduction, imprisonment, and forced displacement of residents, reveal a brutal and systematic repressive approach based on committing war crimes against civilians, particularly female fighters, in an attempt to break the will of the resistance and undermine the symbolism of its struggle."

The statement emphasized that these practices constitute policies of genocide and systematic persecution, for which the Interim Government bears responsibility, with Turkish support and instigation, and with international silence that amounts to complicity.

The statement also pointed to a particular war being waged against the society awareness through organized incitement campaigns aimed at undermining trust between the people and their defending forces.

The statement called on human rights organizations to take immediate action and launch international investigations to hold those responsible accountable and secure the release of prisoners, praising the people's resistance as an indomitable will.

 Ed-Dirbasiyah

In the city of ed-Dirbasiyah, the Women's Council of the Democratic Union Party (PYD) condemned the violations committed against civilians during the attacks on the two neighborhoods, with the participation of the city's women, female members of civil institutions and councils, members of the Internal Security Forces, and women's movements. The statement was read in front of the Martyr Khebat Ferhan Hospital by Ragda Shehadeh; the member of the Kongra Star in the city.

The statement indicated that grave crimes committed against members of the Internal Security Forces and captives included the physical extermination and mutilation of corpses, emphasizing that these practices constitute war crimes and flagrant violations of international law, humanitarian conventions, and divine law.

The statement stressed that these violations are not isolated incidents, but rather part of a systematic campaign aimed at spreading terror among the population, erasing the historical identity of the region, and inciting sectarian and racial strife among the components of Syrian society. This threatens civil peace and deepens the humanitarian crisis. The statement also criticized the silence of the international community, which it considered an encouragement for the continuation of these crimes.

The statement called on the international community and human rights organizations to assume their legal and humanitarian responsibilities by documenting violations, holding the perpetrators accountable, and taking urgent steps to protect civilians and ensure their right to life and to live in dignity, stressing that the demand for justice is a right that does not expire with time.

Tel Brak

In the city of Tel Brak, the Women's Council of the Democratic Union Party (PYD) condemned the massacres committed in the Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafiyeh neighborhoods during a demonstration held in front of the party's headquarters in the city center. The statement was read by the party's co-chair Jawaher al-Abdullah, in the presence of female representatives from civil society organizations and political parties.

The statement stated that the residents of the Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafiyeh neighborhoods are being subjected to "genocide," as innocent civilians are being brutally killed. It condemned all attacks targeting the people of Aleppo, holding the Interim Government fully responsible for the massacres, and demanding that those responsible be held accountable.

The statement concluded by affirming the full support for the residents of Aleppo's neighborhoods and the continuation of the struggle and resistance until victory is achieved.

J.J

ANHA