Asayish closes about 15 offices of Kurdish and local parties and organizations, tension rises and the Syrian Observatory call for the release of detainees and reopening offices in the “self-management” areas

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights was informed by several reliable sources in most of the cities and towns of “the provinces of al-Jazira, Kobani and Afrin” that tension rises in these areas, between supporters of Kurdish and local parties, and between the administrations of the Democratic Self-Management in these three provinces, because the Internal Kurdish Security Forces “Asayish” have closed several offices of Kurdish parties in the cities and towns of Al-Hasaka province, and the cities of Ayn al-Arab (Kobani) and Afrin, based on “violation by these parties” for a decision issued by the internal body in these three provinces, which issued a statement for these “unlicensed” Kurdish parties that they should “report to the committee of the political parties affairs to carry out the licensing procedures”, where internal body adopted 24 hours for the execute after the  Decree of April 2014, which provides materials for what it said that is a “licensing for the political parties a in the provinces of the Democratic Self-Management in al-Jazira, Kobani and Afrin.”

Intersecting sources confirmed to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights that these parties had been practicing their work during the previous period, but the decision came up after the recent tensions, which took place at the beginning of March 2017, after the clashes that took place between the Peshmerga forces of Rogge Ava and the Protection Units of Chenkal (Sinjar) on the Iraqi border with the eastern countryside of Al-Hasaka province, which was followed by an attack by supporters of the Democratic Union Party by attacking several HQs of Kurdish parties and the National Kurdish Council in several cities and towns in Al-Hasaka province, including Qameshly and Derbassiyeh and other areas in the province, followed by closing operations monitored by the Syrian Observatory for human rights for about 15 offices of the National Kurdish Council and other Kurdish organizations and parties, including the headquarters of the Kurdistan Democratic Party – Syria, and the Kurdish Yekiti Party and the National Kurdish Council, also the closing operation was accompanied by arresting officials and members of the Kurdish parties and the National Kurdish Council.

We in the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights call on those in charge of the democratic self-management in “al-Jazira, Kobani and Afrin” to make way for political parties and local organizations to work, and we ask them to re-open the closed offices, and to stop the attacks of the supporters of the Democratic Union Party on these offices and HQs, and to extinguish the fire of tension that may create a civil fight in the area, and we call on the Internal Kurdish Security Forces “Asayish” to stop the arrest of members of the Kurdish and local parties and their supporters, and to hold accountable those involved in the attack on the offices and centers of the Kurdish parties and local organizations, and we call them to release all prisoners of conscience in their prisons, and to refrain from arresting their oppositionists.