In September, the military police and members of various SNA factions continued to arrest civilians in Afrin and the surrounding area, a pattern that has occurred since Türkiye and the SNA factions gained control of the area in 2018. SJAC has witnessed an increase in these cases in the past several months. The military police arrested multiple civilians in September from Afrin city, Jinderis, and Maabatli, and reportedly released some of them after their relatives paid ransoms. In many of these cases, the military police accuse detainees of past “cooperation with the Autonomous Administration,” which refers to actions taken when the area was controlled by the AANES prior to 2018. This charge does not always indicate that a person was involved with Kurdish politics or military factions. The military police have arrested people who were previously employed by the AANES in any capacity, including strictly civilian jobs as teachers, nurses, or municipality employees. SJAC is currently exploring this pattern of violations in greater detail.

Human Rights Violations in Syria - September 2024