Ongoing violations | Kurdish National Council condemns violations, olive thefts and ransoms imposed by Turkish-backed factions against Afrin civilians

The Kurdish National Council explained that violations against Afrin civilians in their home back are escalating since the start of olive harvest season.

The Kurdish National Council pointed out that several armed factions loot, steal and impose huge ransoms at a rate exceeding 25 percent of the product on civilians especially olive fields owners.

The Kurdish National Council explained that the so called “al-Shah Sulaiman” faction led by Abu Ashma imposed that percentage, which turns the farmer into a wage earner in his own land. Such violations are coincided with ongoing kidnappings, torturing, killing and demographic changes in villages and Kurdish towns under different names.

“The Council” criticized absence of actions by authorities to stop the Turkish-backed factions’ activities, and reluctance to respond to the Human Rights organizations’ calls to punish the perpetrators. The “Council” stated that even those who faced difficulties and returned to their villages haven’t escaped the violations, as they experienced investigations and detention in an attempt by Turkish-backed factions to keep them in the immigration and displacement areas.

The Kurdish National Council accused the “National Coalition” of not fulfilling its duties because the Turkish-backed factions take the National Coalition as an umbrella to implement the agreement signed between National Coalition and Kurdish National Council regarding monitoring and stopping violations, hold responsible groups accountable, facilitate the return of refugees to their homes and stopping demographic changes. However, the Turkish-backed factions are the ones committing these violations.

The Kurdish National Council stated aforementioned sufferings forced the civilians of Afrin to live harsh tragic lives, and added more to their sufferings from terrorist bombardments from time to time, claiming the lives of innocent civilians.

Kurdish National Council condemns the actions and terrorist and inhuman practices against residents of Afrin, Tel Abyad and Ras al-Ain.
The “Council” called on Turkey, concerned countries with the Syrian affairs and humanitarian and human rights organizations to take their moral, ethical and legal responsibilities to put an end to these actions that amount to crimes against humanity, and put an end to the violations and hold the factions accountable.

The National Council demanded the expelling of armed groups from populated regions, and to keep their hands off people’s livelihood, olive fields and their products, work for facilitation of the return of refugees and displaced civilians and help them, and hand the authority of the region to its native residents.