The Syrian Observatory For Human Rights

The factions of the “Olive Branch” continue to detain and torture tens of citizens in Afrin and the Turkish intelligence meets with the leadership of Al-Rahman Corps to settle the displaced people of Ghouta

Events in the Afrin area continue, between displacement, resettlement, arrests, harassment, catastrophic humanitarian conditions and a stop of aid, where the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights has monitored since the Turkish forces and the Syrian rebel and Islamic factions operating with them within Operation “Olive Branch” imposed their control over the entire area of Afrin on the 18th of March 2018, arrests against more than 80 persons, including tens whose destiny is still unknown, after they were taken to detention and investigation centers in Afrin area, where sources informed the Syrian Observatory that after looting most of the area of Afrin by the Turkish forces and their allied factions operating within Operation “Olive Branch”, the arrests turned into popular trade by the factions, where arrests are being carried out against citizens who have joined the compulsory military service in the ranks of the Kurdish forces, then they ask for great sums of money reach millions of Syrian pounds to release them, while the sources confirmed that killing was carried out against citizens in Afrin area, last of which was the death of a young man who sources said that he suffered mental disorders, under the pretext of “belonging to the Kurdistan Workers’ Party”.

Local sources informed the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights that one of the young men returned to his village in Haykja village in Afrin area, and he was surprised that his house is dwelled, by members of the factions operating within Operation “Olive Branch”, and when he objected to the opening of the house and housing in it, and asked them to leave, the members of the factions arrested him where he was subjected to violent torture and beating, which resulted in visible marks and bruises on his body, on charge of “belonging to the Kurdish units and planting explosive devices”, and then he was released, and when he arrived at the house of his family, his uncle suffered an apoplexy as he was shocked due to the marks of torture he saw on his nephew’s body.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights learned from a number of reliable sources, and in conjunction with preventing citizens of the residents of Afrin area to return to their villages and areas, that a meeting took place between the leadership of Al-Rahman Corps presented in the Syrian North and the Turkish intelligence, preparing for settling the fighters of Al-Rahman Corps and their families as well as other displaced people from the Eastern Ghouta, in Afrin area in the north-western part of Aleppo province, where the SOHR documented yesterday that the Turkish authorities transferred more than 150 families of the displaced people from the Eastern Ghouta and repatriate them in Afrin area, where these families settled in houses whose owners were displaced from as result of the attack of the Turkish forces and the Syrian opposition factions participating in “Olive Branch” Operation which started on the 20th of January 2018. The SOHR confirmed that the families are displaced people from areas controlled by Al-Rahman Corps and they arrived to the Syrian north in March, and in the same context, the same sources confirmed to the SOHR that many displaced people from the Eastern Ghouta of Damascus refused to settle in Afrin. They refused during talks held by the displaced people of the Eastern Ghouta on their settlement in houses in Afrin area, where the Turkish forces provide them houses owned by people displaced from Afrin. The displaced people of the Eastern Ghouta expressed their resentment of this decision imposed by the Turkish authorities on the displaced people of Ghouta, through carrying out an organized demographic change by settling the displaced people of the Eastern Ghouta in houses owned by the displaced people of Afrin. They said that refuse any demographic change carried out by the regime forces and Russian in their areas which they left after violent shelling which left about 1800 civilian martyrs and more than 6 thousand injured.

And the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights published yesterday that the Turkish authorities which formed the local council for the administration of Afrin area, continue to prevent civilians of Afrin area’s people from returning to their homes in Afrin area, of who have been waiting for about 10 days at Kimar Checkpoint, where they have been prevented without reasons, also hundreds of families who wish to return from regime forces’ controlled areas in the northern countryside are being prevented from returning to Afrin area, in conjunction with the continued prevention by regime checkpoints for civilians to reach Aleppo city, despite the continued smuggling of civilians through the checkpoints in exchange for large sums of money, which are paid to the smugglers and checkpoints regime in order to get them to Aleppo city, all of this happen amid catastrophic situations in the area to which hundreds of thousands of civilians have been displaced to in the northern countryside of Aleppo, due to the ignore of relief and humanitarian organizations for the catastrophic humanitarian situation and the shortages of medicines, treatment, baby milk and supplies, also there are pregnant women who need care along with other people with medical and health conditions that degraded day after day, due to the scarcity and great shortage of humanitarian assistance, where the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights documented the death of 8 citizens of Yazidi families, they are: an elderly man, his elderly wife, their son and his wife with 2 of their children, in addition to another woman and her daughter, as a result of a mine explosion while they were trying to reach Aleppo for treatment, also an explosion on one of the roads between Afrin and Aleppo injured others of the same both families, and local sources confirmed to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights that the Turkish-led “Olive Branch” Operation Forces, are still looting citizens’ property, opening houses –of which their owners have left-, seizing the houses in live in them, in conjunction with the continued arrests of citizens who remain in Afrin area, and the people are suffering the continued harassment of the “Olive Branch” Operating factions and the Turkish forces stationed in the area, amid demands for the intervention of effective parties and international and humanitarian organizations, to stop these frequent violations in the area every day.