Turkish Jandarma pushbacks and violations in 2021 | A woman and eight children among 35 civilians killed along Syria-Turkey border

As Turkey’s government keeps closing border crossings to Syrians while allowing military vehicles and soldiers to enter Syria through the same crossings, worsening an already disastrous situation in Syria, Turkish Border Guards (Jandamra) continue their atrocities against Syrian civilians seeking a safe refuge from the devastating military battles.

 

In 2021, SOHR activists have documented the death of 35 civilians, including a woman and eight children, by the Turkish Jandarma (Border Guards), while attempting to cross into Turkish territory. Of the total death toll, 24 civilians , including a woman and five children, were killed in Idlib, while nine civilians, including three children, were killed in Al-Hasakah, a civilian killed in Al-Raqqah and another in Aleppo.

 

The monthly death toll is distributed in descending order as follows:

 

• August: 8 fatalities

 

• September: 5 fatalities

 

• April: 5 fatalities

 

• March: 3 fatalities

 

• November: 3 fatalities

 

• January: 2 fatalities

 

• February: 2 fatalities

 

• May: 2 fatalities

 

• June: 2 fatalities

 

• December: 2 fatalities

 

• July: 1 fatality

 

• October: 1 fatality

 

 

Further details of the circumstances of the deaths of Syrian civilians at the hands of Turkish Jandarma in Syria in 2021 can be summarised as follows:

 

• January 14: A young man was shot dead by Turkish Border Guards “Jandarma”, while he was trying to enter Turkish territory from Harem area on the Syria border with the Iskenderun region in Idlib countryside.

 

• January 27: A young man was shot dead by Turkish Border Guards “Jandarma”, as he was attempting to enter Turkish territory near the Syria-Turkey border, from Al-Hamboushia area in the western countryside of Jisr Al-Shughour.

 

• February 4: a child was shot dead by Turkish Border Guards “Jandarma”, as he tried to enter Turkish territory from Hilt area in Harem district at the Syria border with Iskenderun region in Idlib countryside.

 

• February 12: A child was shot dead by the Turkish Border Guards “Jandarma”, while he was working with his grandfather in a farmland in Salhab village in Jisr Al-Shughour countryside in north-western Idlib, nearly 500 metres away from the border wall.

 

• March 4: A child was shot dead by the Turkish Border Guards “Jandarma”, while he was in front of his house in Al-Madlousah village in Salqin countryside in north-western Idlib on the border with Iskenderun Region.

 

• March 9: A young man was shot dead by the Turkish Border Guards “Jandarma”, while he was attempting to cross into the Turkish territory in Darkoush city on the border with Iskenderun region in the north-western countryside of Idlib.

 

• March 10: A child was shot dead by Turkish Border Guards, as he tried to cross into Turkey with his family from the area of Arrada in Abu Rasin countryside in Al-Hasakah countryside.

 

• March 19: A young man from Al-Bab area was killed, after being shot by the Turkish Border Guards “Jandarma” while he was attempting to cross into Turkey in the northern countryside of Aleppo.

 

• April 20: A young man from the village of Bzapour in Jabal Al-Zawiyah was killed, after being shot by Turkish Border Guards as he tried to cross into Turkey from Idlib countryside.

 

• On the same day, April 22: A young man from the city of Al-Raqqah died of his injures, after he was arrested by the Turkish Border Guards “Jandarma”. The young man went missing on April 17 while attempting to cross the Syria-Turkey border in Tel Abyad area, north of Al-Raqqah. According to the report of the forensic doctor at Tal Abyad Hospital, the young man was brutally beaten and hit on the head with a sharp tool which caused his death.

 

• April 22: A woman was shot dead by Turkish Border Guards near the border strip in Idlib countryside. According to the sources, the woman was working for a daily wage on agricultural land near the border wall, when she was shot by the Turkish Jandarma. It is worth noting that the victim lived with her family in Al-Karama gathering camps near the town of Qah, north of Idlib.

 

• April 24: A young man from Jisr Al-Shughour countryside shot dead by Turkish Border Guards, as he was attempting to cross into Turkish territory from the northern countryside of Idlib.

 

• April 29: An old man from Al-Zouf village in Jisr Al-Shughur on the Syria border with Iskenderun region was killed, after being shot by the Turkish Border Guards “Jandarma”, while he was working in his land in the village.

 

• May 7: A civilian was killed in ​​Al-Hafriyah village, north of Darkush, after being shot by the Turkish Border Guards “Jandarma”, while he was fishing on the bank of Al-Asi River.

 

• May 31: A Syrian young man died after being beaten up brutally by the Turkish Border Guards “Jandarma”, near the Syria border with Iskenderun region, while he was attempting to cross into Turkey through crossings used for smuggling in western Salqeen. After he was beaten, the young man was left near Al-Alany crossing in western Salqeen, and he was taken later to the hospital before he died.

 

• June 7: A young man from Al-Zarzour village in Jesr Al-Shughur in the western countryside of Idlib was killed, while he was trying to sneak into Turkey from west Idlib countryside near the Syria border with Iskenderun region.

 

• June 25: A young man from Deir Hafer town was killed, after being shot by the Turkish Border Guards “Jandarma”, while he was attempting to cross into Turkey from Harem city in the north-western countryside of Idlib.

 

• July 18: A child was shot dead by the Turkish Border Guards “Jandarma”, while he was attempting to cross into Turkey from Idlib countryside.

 

• August 4: A young man from Maarrat Harma village in Idlib countryside was killed, after being shot by Turkish Janderma while he was attempting to cross into Turkey from the northern countryside of Idlib.

 

• August 19: A civilian from the border village of Al-Zouf in the western countryside of Idlib was killed, after being shot by Turkish Border Guards “Jandarma”, while he was attempting to cross into the Turkish territory.

 

• On the same day, August 22: A child from Al-Jabin village in the northern countryside of Hama was killed in gunfire by Turkish Jandarma with live bullets on Al-Ali camp in Atama town in Idlib countryside.

 

• August 22: A civilian from Markada town in Al-Hasakah countryside was shot dead by the Turkish Border Guards (Jardarma) in Turkish territory, just after crossing the border strip from Otayshan village.

 

• August 30: A civilian from Al-Qamishly city was killed, after being tortured brutally by Turkish Jandarma and dumped on the Turkey-Syria border between Al-Qamisly and Al-Qahtanyah cities. The young man was found on August 29 in a critical health condition. The man was taken to a hospital in Al-Qamishly city and died of his injuries in the following day.

 

• August 31, A displaced young man from Om Sahlij village in Ma’arat Al-Noa’man city was shot dead by the Turkish Border Guards (Jandaram), while he was attempting to cross with other four persons into Turkish territory from north Idlib countryside.

 

• September 18: Two men: one from Buqrus and the other from Al-Shamiteya in Deir Ezzor province, were shot dead by the Turkish Border Guards, while attempting to sneak into Turkish territory from north-east Syria

 

• September 23: A young man from “Al-Na’eem” tribe in Al-Hasakah province died of the injury he had on September 20, when he was shot by the Turkish Jandarma, while he was attempting to cross into Turkey from Ras Al-Ain countryside (Sri Kaniye).

 

• September 24: A young man from Namer town in Daraa province died of the injury he had when he was shot by the Turkish Jandarma, while he was attempting to cross into Turkey from north Idlib countryside. The man had been taken to Al-Rayhaneya hospital in Iskenderun region “Hatai” where he died of his injuries.

 

• September 29: Turkish Border Guards “Jandarma” threw the body of a child on the Syria-Turkey border strip, opposite Arada village in Abu Raseen (Zarkan) district in Al-Hasakah countryside. The child had died under torture at the hands of the Turkish Jandarma which arrested him while he was attempting to cross into the Turkish territory, as there were marks of brutal torture on the child’s body.

 

• October 10: A child from Qanat Al-Suwees neighbourhood in Al-Qamishli city died of the wounds he had after having been beaten brutally by the Turkish Jandarma nearly a month earlier, as he was attempting to cross into Turkey from Al-Aziziyyah village in Ras Al-Ain city (Sere Kaniye) in northern Al-Hasakah. According to SOHR sources, the child died of his sever injuries in the intensive care unit in a Turkish hospital.

 

• November 13: Two young men from Abu Al-Zuhour village in the eastern countryside of Idlib were shot dead by the Turkish Border Guards (Jandarma), as they were attempting to cross into Iskenderun region near Harem city in the northern countryside of Idlib, on the Syria-Turkey border.

 

• November 28: A civilian died of the fractures in the neck, arm and leg he sustained after being severely beaten up by the Turkish Jandarma, while he was trying to sneak into Turkey with the help of smugglers, in Al-Arada village in the north of Abu Rassin district in Al-Hasakah province.

 

• December 7: A civilian from Kafr Daryan town in northern Idlib was shot dead by Turkish Jandarma, while he was attempting to cross into Turkey in north Idlib countryside.

 

• December 20: A boy from Maara Al-Nu’man was tortured to death by Turkish Border Guards “Jandarma”, while attempting to enter Turkish territory from Harem area on the Syria border with Iskenderun region in Idlib countryside.

 

We, at the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), renew our appeal to the United Nations, UN Security Council and international community to exert maximum pressure on the Turkish government to stop its violent and illegal pushbacks against Syrian civilians fleeing from military operations in their areas. We also warn against attempts to sneak into Turkey through unsafe routes in light of the escalating violent pushbacks by Turkish Jandarma along the Syria-Turkey border .

SOHR also calls for referring Turkey’s pushbacks, which amount to premeditated murders, to international courts, so that all those responsible and those who aided and abated the killing of Syrian people can face justice.

 

The Syrian Observatory would like to point out that all information and figures mentioned in this report have been documented and updated until the date of publication.