The armed factions move hundreds of Kurdish detainees from Afrin residents to unknown places amid increased fears for their lives

ARK News: The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights published on its report yesterday that the Turkish intelligence and their loyal Syrian factions have transferred more than 600 Kurdish prisoners of Afrin, who were arrested after they controlled over Afrin last year, where the transfer took place from Sejju prison (al-Ma’sara prison) in Izaz area in the northern countryside of Aleppo, and they were transported to a destination that still unknown until now.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights added that the transfer began during the last week in batches after screening the detainees each according to the charge and the duration of the prison.

The Syrian Observatory told that the health of a large number of these detainees has deteriorated during the past period, as a result of torture and the notorious reputation of al-Ma’sara prison, amid fears for the lives of detainees.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights received told that about the transferring several detainees to Turkish prisons on charges of “belonging to the former Kurdish self-administration in Afrin”, while the fate of those detainees is unknown as Turkish intelligence and their loyal factions prohibit visits except after paying huge amounts of money, where many arrests take place in order to get ransom, which has spread dramatically in Afrin by the factions present there.

The Syrian Observatory published on the 7th of May 2019 that the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights learned that al-Jabha al-Shamiyyah which operates within the Turkey-loyal operation of “Olive Branch”, arrested in the past days 6 people including a woman in Qantare village of Mabata township in Afrin countryside, accused of “dealing with YPG”, while the violations against the Kurdish countryside of Afrin continue to be committed by factions of “Olive Branch”, where the Syrian Observatory monitored groups belong to Ahrar al-Sharqiyah faction beating and insulting Kurdish compatriots in al-Amara village in Mabata township, after accusing them of cooperating with the “self-administration “, in addition to kicking a family out of a house of their relative they used to reside in at Afrin city, despite having papers of the house from the local council in Afrin, where they were forced to pay money in return for allowing them to remain.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights published on the 28th of April 2019 that the violations against the people of Afrin continue by factions of the Turkey-loyal factions of “Olive Branch” operation, which controls the area, where the Syrian Observatory learned that the al-Jabha al-Shamiyyah faction arrested yesterday, Saturday, 5 people at least in Mabata area in Afrin countryside in the northwestern countryside of Aleppo, on charges of “belonging to Kurdish Units”, where they were taken to unknown places.

The royalties imposed on the civilian and the people who move in Afrin area on the main and sub-roads, where varying sums of money are paid to checkpoints of “Olive Branch” Forces, who stop the small, large, public and private vehicles, and sometimes it goes beyond royalty and turn to looting, not to mention the arbitrary control of “Olive Branch” operation factions of the economic resources in Afrin- came against the backdrop of the seizure of most of the olive plantations in Afrin by the factions of operation “Olive branch”, and leasing it dealers and workers to work in them and receive money in advance as a price for the lease of these seized plantations, which are more than 75% of the area of olive farms in Afrin, after the factions shared control of olive farms.

Also, factions in “Olive Branch” operation formed mock courts that request identity papers relating to property ownership in Afrin area in the northwestern sector of Aleppo province, and the sources confirmed that the process of ordering the papers is accompanied by information provided by intersected sources; about the start of preparations by the Corps’ court to return properties inhabited by fighters to their owners, and the sources confirmed that the houses are being seized until proofing the ownership of the house by a paper from the Land Registry in Aleppo that proves the ownership of the house to the plaintiff, even if there were charges of affiliation to the Kurdish forces or Kurdish political parties, where the ownership of the home is returned its owners, but those who cannot prove that, their property are seized and sold at an auction, also the individual arms and personal belongings areas sold in the same way at special auctions, which has aroused widespread dissatisfaction among residents of Afrin who the regime did not grant them access to Aleppo city as displaced people, amid fears that many displaced and remaining families cannot prove their ownership, where the people considered this as a new chapter in the process of restricting to displace the remaining civilians.

Also the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring new chapters in the series of the continuous violations practiced by the “Olive Branch” Operation Factions; against the remaining residents of Afrin city and its countryside in the northwest sector of Aleppo province, where the Syrian Observatory learned that members from a brigade working in Afrin area broke into a house near Nawroz roundabout in Afrin city, and arrested a Kurdish man with his son and daughter accused them of being “cells of YPG”, where they were taken to an unknown destination, and in the same context, members from al-Hamza brigade seized agricultural land owned by a citizen of Afrin, under the pretext of “he resides in Germany and supports YPG”, where the brother of the landowner, his agent, was expelled and the land that includes hundreds of trees of olives was seized.

The Syrian Observatory published yesterday, Monday, that factions of the “Olive Branch” Operation supported by Turkey continue their violations in Afrin city and its countryside against its remaining people, to steal their lands, arrest, and restrict them. And in a new chapter in the series of violations: “al-Sultan Shah” Brigade -which is part of the “Olive Branch” factions- legalized its thefts of the livelihood of Afrin people through series of resolutions issued and circulated regarding the harvesting of olives in Shih Township in the countryside of Afrin, and these decisions stipulate the imposition of royalties in different proportions on the olive harvest, where residents owners of the agricultural lands in the area were forced to pay 10% of their produce, but in the case of absence of the agricultural landowners in the area their agents act on behalf of them; and higher percentages were determined as follows:

15% of the crop is paid if the agents are first class relatives to the landowners (father, mother, brother, sister).

If the agents are from the area but not related to the landowners, the royalty will be 25% of the total crop production.

35% of the total crop production is paid if the agents are from “supporters” of YPG according to the circulation of the Sultan Shah faction.

Source: The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights

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