Introduction
This report sheds light on the violations against older persons in Afrin, northwest of Syria, in 2024. Afrin is controlled by Turkey and government-opposed “Syrian National Army” factions since 2018.
The cases described in this report occurred between January and May of 2024, which were monitored by local human rights organizations and defenders, are prove on the continuing violations in this region for six years.
International humanitarian law and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights recognize the right of civilians, including women, children and the elderly, to protection during conflict, which requires the efforts of civil society organizations and local authorities to bring change in the severity and frequency of violations and abuse of this group.
The Syrian government army’s control of this region decreased following the 2011 protests. The Autonomous Administration was formed in Afrin and areas with Kurdish majority.
Turkey invaded Afrin in a military operation so called “Olive Branch”, along with Syrian opposition factions, which displaced hundreds of thousands of original inhabitants of Afrin city and its villages, towards Aleppo city, Aleppo countryside and Jazira region controlled by Autonomous Administration and SDF.
Many of Afrin’s displaced people migrated towards the Kurdistan Region, Turkey and Europe. Other people, including elderly stayed despite the expected risks only to commit to live in their homeland and protect their property.
Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Syrian Arab Republic, and local and international organizations documented violations like killing, arbitrary detention, torture, seizure and rape in Afrin and later in “Peace Spring” areas in Ras al ayn and Tal abyad.
The cases show that elderly people, as heads of families and the remainder of others, continue to be subjected to violations of killing, torture, threats, dispossession of property and abuses to diminish their dignity and deprive them of their property.
In selecting the examples, we relied on monitoring violations in the Afrin area and communicate online with local activists and monitoring organizations to seek advice and verify incidents, as well as photos and videos of some victims.
The victims in this report have exceeded 60 years of age and have been through the aftermath of war, they are similar in being the original inhabitants and preferring to remain, the majority of whom are spouses living alone or with a few family members.
The perpetrators are “National Army” factions, military police, Turkish intelligence or displaced people brought by Turkey from other Syrian regions. In these cases, the common between them is the use of weapons, threats and power by military personnel from the factions of the Turkish-backed “National Army”.
In the shown cases, the victims faced hard times and ordeals because of Lack of access to litigation and awareness. That made the elderly to use their wisdom before their aggressors, who exploited the weapons and influence to commit violations
Arbitrary detentions and ransoms
Since the beginning of 2024 to the end of May, people in Afrin and its districts and villages were arrested individually and collectively, on charges of dealing with former Autonomous Administration in Afrin. Some of the arrestees were released in exchange of fines (as ransoms).
The cases of arrests that we will show in this report are similar to those recorded in many rights reports in the past years, which means the efforts that have been made to halt the arbitrary arrest in general and particularly against elderly in this region, did not bring any results.
On February 15th, Turkish intelligence and military police in Jindires arrested one woman and 7 men in ‘Aghjale’ village, who were between 60 and 85 years old, collectively.[1]
The charge of these persons was also “dealing or working with former Autonomous Administration in Afrin”.
Eight of the arrestees were released, by paying 1000 U.S. dollar for each. Only one arrestee was not released and he is the son of one of the released arrestees. [2]
On February 4th, Turkish intelligence and military police in Rajo district arrested Hasan Sheikho Baker (62), from ‘Goliyan’ lower village, on charge of dealing with former Autonomous Administration. [3]
They released him two days later with a fine that we could not verify the value.
On March 23rd, military police arrested Mohammad Hussein Hussein, (65), from ‘Gamrouk’ village that follows ‘Mabata’ district, on charge of dealing with former Autonomous Administration.
The man was tortured and beaten in the headquarter of the military police in the district. He was released later with a ransom, as well as the bribes that his family had paid to the police to keep him alive.
During his arrest time, which was two weeks, his wife’s health worsened and she was taken to the military hospital in Afrin and then to a hospital in ‘al Dana’ town’s hospital.[4]
In the second half of May of 2024, Turkish intelligence and the military police arrested 4 elderly and others from ‘Maydana’ villages that follow ‘Rajo’ district.
The arrestees were also accused of dealing with Autonomous Administration. They were released later by paying fines of 200 U.S. dollars each, and another 100 U.S. dollars each in the next court session.[5]
‘Insight’ recorded the arrests of elderly people in Afrin in the first five months of 2024. 2 women and 17 men who were over 60 years, 8 men and 1 woman of them were released.
The repetitive money gathering from 14 victims of those arrested that this report has monitored and similar cases, indicate that money is the motive for the arrest.
The age of the victims and their status as civilians are enough to reject the allegations of their participation in military actions in the Syrian conflict in general, including the clashes between Turkish-backed “Syrian National Army” and Syrian Democratic Forces.
Turkish intelligence transferred the people, whom it accused of fighting with SDF, to its territory or kept them in prisons in its areas of influence within Syrian territory.
An activist, who is from Afrin and lives in Qamishli, believes that the charges are to blackmail, and that the factions put “prices” according to the name of the institution that the arrestee is accused of working at formerly, like the council of neighborhood, schools or municipalities.
“what’s the purpose of arresting the people of a village collectively and then releasing them for money?”, he wonders.
The victims cannot submit any complaints about their violated rights, as the body who arrested them is the military police that belong to “National Army” with supervision of Turkish intelligence.
The families of some victims usually refuse to confirm detailed information about being extorted through the arrest of the family’s dean to seize their private property, for fear of further violations such as reprisal.
Elderly people in the cases presented in this report were subjected to arbitrary detention for a few days, which pushed them to agree to pay ransoms for their freedom. However, the arrest exacerbates feelings of oppression and inequity that affect their health conditions and lose their sense of safety, as well as material pressures on victims’ families, including displaced persons inside Syria and refugees abroad.
Turkey, the leaders of the “Syrian National Army”, the Syrian interim government authorities and the National Coalition of Revolutionary and Opposition Forces are responsible for stopping violations of the collection of funds in the manner of detention and for bringing frequent charges against all arbitrarily detained original inhabitants.
Assaults and armed robbery
Since Turkey and “National Army” factions control of Afrin, armed robbery of homes and property of elderly in which they live, are frequent.
In some of the attacks eight armed men would broke into the house and assault or attempt to kill the owners, while barricades and military and security headquarters of the “National Army” were located nearby.
On January 5th, a group of masked armed men in an area under the control of the Syrian National Army’s Ninth Division assaulted, threatened and hit an elderly couple and their daughter with a weapon.
Six armed men broke into the house of Abd al Hamid Mostafa Yousef (72) in ‘Mamala’ village that follow Rajo district in Afrin, while unknown number of other armed men were standing outside.
The gunmen blindfolded and gagged Abdul Hamid and his wife Fatima Hanan Yousef (76), with cloth ties, and beat their daughter and tied her after trying to flee the room.
The aggressors used their hands and guns to beat the victims and robbed the mother and daughter’s gold ornaments. After searching the house, they seized money, two mobile phones and other ornaments, according to a family member.[6]
The family was unable to identify the aggressors, but hundreds of meters away there is Ninth Division militants’ checkpoint and another common checkpoint for the military police factions, the Ninth Division and the Ahrar al-Sharqiyah, all belong to the “National Army”.
Allegations of factions involved in these incidents suggest that the involvement of a group of gunmen with combat rifles in an attack aimed at theft and near security headquarters, raises doubts.
The factions’ apparent involvement in past robberies and crimes, and the threat of use by the aggressors, corroborate these allegations, while we have not been able to obtain testimony or evidence identifying the aggressors in the previous cases.
In another recent attack, on April 6th, 2024, two gunmen of ‘al-Hamza’ division or supported by it assaulted elderly Fareed Suleiman Hesso (60) and his son Mohammed (17), from ‘Kakhire’ village of ‘Jindres’ district, because they objected to grazing sheep in their olive land near ‘Cholaqa’ village, in which small grass were damaged by grazing.[7]
Farid Hesso told two shepherds in the land that the herding would damage the olive plants, but they insulted, assaulted and then threatened him by saying they will ask the help of soldiers from the military checkpoint –referring to use the force. They assaulted the elderly and his son again, who was ploughing the field with an agricultural tractor.
In his testimony via video call, Fareed Hesso said: “I told them ( isn’t it bad that the sheep are eating the olives?) they replied that they don’t care about the olives and they cursed me and took out two knives and hit me with stones.”[8]
He added: “after the assault they continued to curse and threat me, I told them God be with you I do not want problems, but he (the displaced shepherd brought by Turkey) said he would go to the headquarter to bring militaries.”
The Sixty-year-old man then begged them to stop hitting his son with sticks, but the aggressors continued using knives, sticks and stones until they caused the son Mohammad to bleed from his mouth and nose and then he passed out, and the father was hurt in the neck and his right shoulder was dislocated.
The victims’ brother came to the olive land and took him to Afrin hospital, activists posted the video of the victim telling what had happened.
Sources mentioned that the military police arrested those involved in the incident without revealing their names or how was the trial. [9]
The authorities usually announce the arrest of perpetrators of crimes and violations in the region, but deny the involvement of militaries so it is not described as crime incidents, like the case of killing the four brothers in Jindires in March 2023.[10]
In the first case, the couple was assaulted by armed men with rifles with the same number of “owners of a group”, the smallest military formation in the armies, again refers to unconfirmed allegations about their association with nearby military and security barriers and points that did not intervene to prevent the attack at the time it happened.
In the second case, the aggressors went too far by threatening the victim of bringing militaries form the headquarter of al-Hamza division to support them. The victim and his son were afraid to submit any complaint, both reasons support the allegations of them belonging to the division, even though we did not obtain approved evidences about that.
The international humanitarian law protects elderly human rights as other civilians during conflicts, including their rights of work and participation in decisions related to them and protecting them from the violations.
Victims of the ongoing conflict
Not reaching to understandings between Syrian parties to the conflict and the supportive and intervened states in Syria led to the continuation of security and military operations. Elderly were among the victims who suffer the most from the war ordeals and the absence of their sons and daughters.
On March 9th, government shelling on ‘Kabasheen’ village close to ‘Lelun’ mountain killed Areefa Jimmo (70) and injured Haydar Abdo Haydar (80) and a man and a child from the same family.
The source of the shelling was from ‘al Sheikh Aqeel’ mountain in western countryside of Aleppo, where there are units of Syrian Army. [11]
The violations like seizure, arrest, practices of undermining dignity and the block of remedy impacted the elderly to the extent that they would die from sadness.
On March 2nd, Aref Omar Mohammad (65) from ‘Ashouna’ village that follow ‘Bulbul’ district, died of a heart attack after the gunmen of ‘al Sultan Murad’ brigade of “National Army” told him to take his hands off the vineyard that belong to his displaced brother.
The man was taking care of the field for six years and was paying loyalties to the factions since 2018 when the Syrian opposition factions controlled Afrin along with Turkey. [12]
Another man from ‘Gobaga’ village that follows ‘Mabata’ district named Jamal Mohammad Hamo (51) died on February 12th of 2024, the moment he came back from his olive land, because some people form ‘al Mawali’ tribe, which is supported by ‘al Shamal’ brigade of “National Army”, cut off his olive trees in his land.
And when he and his nephews tried to stop the aggressors from cutting the trees, they got beaten and abused by the aggressors.[13]
The assaults on elderly caused the killing of many of them. In September 2019, three gunmen from ‘al-Jabha al-Shamiya’ faction broke into the house of Muhiddin Osso (70) in ‘Ashrafiya’ neighborhood. They beat him and his wife and he died immediately, and the wife Houriya Mohammad Baker (74) died few days later because of her injuries and bleeding in the brain.[14]
Violations against original inhabitants were frequent because of Turkey’s and the “National Army”’s attitude towards SDF and Autonomous Administration and the fact that they consider anything Kurdish is associated with the [PKK] – the banned Kurdistan Workers’ Party in Turkey.
Militants of “al-Hamza” division led by the faction’s security official in ‘Raju’, Mohammed Khair Al-Riya, arrested at least six people in ‘Atmana’ village on the eve of Newroz, 2024.
Among the arrestees was Sheikh Musa Yousef (70), who was transferred to the faction’s headquarters (formerly the municipality building).
They were held in detention for hours. The division imposed on them loyalty of 300 U.S. dollars on each arrestee and it warned them of setting a fire to celebrate Newroz. [15]
Killing elderly men and women in military operations and subjecting them to oppression and extreme sadness to the extent that cause their death require the parties to the conflict to distinguish between military and civilian targets, in particular children’s, elderly, disabled and sick people.
Attempts to insecure older persons and their family members in Afrin and other areas of Turkey’s control and “National Army” factions must also cease. The attempts aim at collecting money from them or robbing their property in exchange for not-going too far with the violations committed by these factions.
In general, elderly lacks community protection and health care and are excluded from participation in decisions, even those directly affecting their rights, like the right to return to their homes, to restore their property and to manage the property of their children, grandchildren and other family members.
It is also difficult for those elderly to access information on ways to protect themselves, their families and property.
In the incidents of attacks on property described in this report, elderly people were discriminated against because of their age when the armed aggressors or their supporters did not respond to the property owners’ defense.
And when a young person intervenes to defense or help elderly men or women, the elderly get afraid that this young man might be targeted by the aggressors later for reprisal.
Some elderly people whose property had been taken away by “National Army” factions and whose children had emigrated were living more vulnerable lives with the absence of breadwinners and the loss of expected resources of their property, as well as being deprived of relief, like when it occurred in Jindires at February 6th earthquake in 2023.
However, the stereotype that elderly people all receive handouts and humanitarian assistance should not be believed.
Economic activities in Afrin, such as the production of olives and other agricultural products, are related to landowners and olive presses who are often elderly. That indicates that these elderly are holders of property rights and human rights and can make their own choices and decisions if they have opportunities.
There were many run-over with vehicle incidents, which are considered intentional, because the victim had been threatened or abused previously. Many elderly people also died of heart attacks because of anguish and oppression on their robbed property or beatings they or their family members were subjected to. However, most of these incidents remain “unsubstantiated allegations” for lack of fair litigation mechanisms.
The article 17 of the United Nations Principles for Older Persons stipulate that ‘Older persons should be able to live in dignity and security and be free of exploitation and physical or mental abuse’.
and article 18 recommend that ‘Older persons should be treated fairly regardless of age, gender, racial or ethnic background, disability or other status, and be valued independently of their economic contribution’.[16]
However, the cases monitored by this report demonstrate that violations against older women and men is related with hatred and racial discrimination based on nationality.
Recommendations
- “National Army” authorities in the region should ensure the property rights, dignity and equality of elderly – women and men – in their areas of control.
- Civil society organizations and media must uncover the violations and race or sectarianism discrimination, so it will not be used as an approach for perpetrators.
- The Syrian interim government should lift restrictions on the return of displaced people of Afrin to their home, and activate laws and orders that support restoring their property.
- Turkey must push the factions to stop the violations that they commit against civilians including children, women and the elderly who cannot ever be treated as enemy fighters.
[1] https://yek-dem.net/ar/?p=15338
[2] https://www.facebook.com/share/p/KLuf3d8pghZaHaP5/?mibextid=oFDknk
[3] http://afrinpost.net/ar/archives/33957?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR335p4K46FDiwVlEMpNTmdtjOMxOlBwGVY_gvGseE-QqDHg6hO-39ZSlpQ_aem_AU-Gb0bRbu3HsuoauPv_wy8xpzJKLNVVr41n_Vg2MLHPF8gKePMsk37WE8FC_BYnqXck2QOD4qkn3Lrb_S49CMpL
[4] https://www.facebook.com/share/p/RS3YQ5yLexzDdKe5/?mibextid=oFDknk
[5] عفرين تحت الاحتلال (291): الاعتداء على مدني، اعتقالات تعسفية، جفاف قنوات ري سدّ ميدانكي، حرائق متعمدّة واسعة تطال الغابات، اشتباكات دامية وسط المدنيين – Yek.Dem (yek-dem.net)
[6] https://lelun-afrin.org/ar/عفرين-سوريا-كبار-السن-في-مرمى-انتهاكات
[7] https://www.hawarnews.com/ar/مرتزقة-الاحتلال-يعتدون-على-أب-وولده-في-عفرين-المحتلة
[8] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GImqasWLGFA
[9] عفرين تحت الاحتلال (284): اعتداءات على مدنيين كُـرد، قرى استيطانية بأسماء فلسطينية، مشروع “النور” الاستيطاني، /15/ قرية استيطانية في محيط جنديرس، التغيير الديمغرافي في ناحية بلبل، إتاوات “صقور الشمال والحمزات”، اعتقالات وسرقات – Yek.Dem (yek-dem.net)
[10] عام على جريمة جنديرس.. إفلات من العقاب وأحكام غير قابلة للتنفيذ – منظمة إنسايت | Insight organization (insight-md.org)
[12] (12) #عربي/English وفاة مواطن كردي بجلطة دماغية… – شبكة نشطاء عفرين AAN | Facebook
[13] (12) ابراهيم شيخو – وفاة مواطن كردي قهرا بعد قطع أشجاره والاعتداء على… | Facebook
[14] https://7al.net/2019/09/06/وفاة-امرأة-بعد-أيام-على-إصابتها-و-مقتل-ز/juan-a/سياسة/شرق-أوسط/
[15] عفرين تحت الاحتلال (283): استشهاد مدني وإصابة آخر، اعتقالات تعسفية، العمشات تفرض إتاوات وتقطع الغابات، فوضى واحتجاز محتفلين بنوروز وسرقات – Yek.Dem (yek-dem.net)
[16] https://www.ohchr.org/en/instruments-mechanisms/instruments/united-nations-principles-older-persons
