Human rights organization Amnesty International accused Turkey on Thursday of allowing Syrian armed groups to commit a wide range of violations against civilians in Afrin.

Turkish forces aided by allied rebels captured the northern Syrian town in March from the US-backed Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG), which Ankara considers a terrorist group. According to Amnesty's research, scores of displaced residents have since returned to their homes, only to be subjected to rights abuses.

Read more:Turkey's military offensive against Kurdish-held Afrin: What you need to know

Civilians return to Afrin after Turkish armed forces took control of the town

What Amnesty's investigation alleges:

Amnesty interviewed 32 people, both current and former Afrin residents, between May and July 2018, who said:

Residents in Afrin are enduring "arbitrary detentions, enforced disappearances, confiscation of property and looting."

Most of the abuses were "at the hands of Syrian groups that have been equipped and armed by Turkey."

Some of the rebel groups and Turkish armed forces had "taken over schools, disrupting the education for thousands of children."

Afrin University was "completely shut down after it was destroyed and looted," according to residents cited by Amnesty.

Civilians have been punished or had their property seized on "baseless accusations of affiliation to the YPG."

Read more: Afrin, refugees, rights: EU-Turkey summit set for showdown

Watch video 02:01 Share Humanitarian crisis in Syria Send Facebook google+ Whatsapp Tumblr linkedin stumble Digg reddit Newsvine Permalink https://p.dw.com/p/2ufMF Humanitarian crisis deepens in Afrin and eastern Ghouta

What does Turkey say?

Turkey has denied allegations of human rights violations, dismissing them as propaganda. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has also previously said that Turkey has no wish to occupy parts of Syria and wants the rightful owners to return.

Amnesty said it sent its preliminary findings to the Turkish government, which questioned the impartiality of the research, but did not "provide a concrete response" to the charges.

Amnesty's Middle East research director Lynn Maalouf said Turkey was responsible for the welfare of civilians as well as maintaining law and order, since it was the "occupying power" in Afrin.

"Without further delay, Turkey must end violations by pro-Turkish armed groups, hold perpetrators accountable, and commit to helping Afrin residents rebuild their lives," she said.

Read more:Germany sells arms to Turkey despite Afrin offensive, media reports

A Turkish-backed Syrian rebel celebrates after capturing Afrin in March

Turkey's role in Afrin: It's not the first time troops backed by Turkey have been accused of abuses in Afrin. In June, Human Rights Watch said militias had looted and destroyed property belonging Kurdish civilians after the town was seized. Ankara has said it wants to make Afrin into a safe place for displaced residents to come back to, but it's not clear how long its forces will maintain a presence there.

Read more: Who are the Kurds?

The battle for Afrin: On January 20, the Turkish military and their Syrian allies launched "Operation Olive Branch" against the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) in the northern Syrian enclave. Erdogan had long threatened to flush out what he considers to be Kurdish "terrorists" along Turkey's border with Syria. The intervention opened up a new front in the Syrian conflict and increased tensions between NATO allies Turkey and the United States, who have been at odds over Syria.

What is the YPG? The Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) are part of the US-led international alliance fighting against the "Islamic State" (IS) in Syria. Ankara sees the YPG as an extension of the Kurdistan Worker's Party (PKK), which is blacklisted as a terror group by Turkey, the US and the European Union. The PKK has waged a decades-long insurgency against the Turkish state and advocates for political autonomy and cultural rights for Turkey's Kurdish minority.

Kurds protest Turkey's Afrin offensive during Newroz celebrations Newroz marked with protest Newroz, the Kurdish and Persian New Year, is an ancient festival that marks the Spring Equinox. Though normally a time for celebration, this year’s festivities were marked with anger and protest over the Turkish government's ongoing military operations in Afrin, Syria, where Ankara-backed militias have been conducting an offensive on the enclave of Kurdish militants since January 20, 2018.

Kurds protest Turkey's Afrin offensive during Newroz celebrations Crowd filled with pride, frustration This year's festival came just days after Turkish-backed militias took the city of Afrin, scoring a major victory against Kurdish militants who have largely been pushed out of northwestern Syria. In response, attendees of Newroz celebrations in Diyarbakir, Turkey's largest Kurdish-majority city, chanted pro-Kurdish slogans such as "Long live the Afrin resistance."

Kurds protest Turkey's Afrin offensive during Newroz celebrations 'This is not just a celebration, it’s resistance' "There's never been an easy time to celebrate Newroz, but the people who come here are sending a message," said Aynur Asan, member of the Kurdish-led Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) council. "It's a salute to liberated Kurdish areas, but it's also a message to those who have given up on Kurds. This is not just a celebration, it's resistance."

Kurds protest Turkey's Afrin offensive during Newroz celebrations 'Barbarism and looting' Pervin Buldan, the new HDP co-chair, addressed the crowd in Diyarbakir with criticism of Turkey's Operation in Afrin. "They did not bring anything to Afrin other than barbarism and looting," she said. "They attacked Afrin because of their intolerance to the gains of the Kurds." She went on to say Ankara could not break the bond between Kurds in Turkey and Syria.

Kurds protest Turkey's Afrin offensive during Newroz celebrations Afrin's rightful owners Throughout the Afrin offensive, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said the area would be liberated from Kurdish terrorists and returned to its rightful owners. In response, Hisyar Ozsoy, deputy chair of the HDP's foreign affairs, said: "Afrin belongs to the people of Afrin, the majority of whom are Kurdish … what Erdogan is trying to do is ethnic engineering."

Kurds protest Turkey's Afrin offensive during Newroz celebrations Criticism of EU inaction "When we go to the West, we see schools and factories. When you come here, what do you see other than prisons and police and tanks?" asked a member of the Peace Mothers, a group of women who've lost children in ongoing conflicts, during a meeting with EU delegates prior to Newroz. "You have not put Erdogan on trial."

Kurds protest Turkey's Afrin offensive during Newroz celebrations Ongoing state of emergency Wednesday's Newroz celebration-turned-protest was a rare display of dissent in Turkey, where political gatherings have been banned under a state of emergency that has been in effect since the failed coup attempt in July 2016. In addition, Diyarbakir was under round-the-clock curfew during military operations, in which Turkish forces eradicated Kurdish militants from the city center.

Kurds protest Turkey's Afrin offensive during Newroz celebrations Dwindling attendance Following urban warfare that gripped much of Diyarbakir's city center between 2015 and 2016, many of the city's citizens have shied away from public events such as Newroz. Pictured above, members of local Kurdish groups distribute invitations to Newroz in the Diyarbakir's historic center in an effort to encourage people to join the festivities.

Kurds protest Turkey's Afrin offensive during Newroz celebrations 'No matter how much pressure they face' Selma Atabey, a representative for the Health and Social Service Workers Union (SES), said more than 4,300 members of her union lost their jobs in Turkey's post-coup crackdown, but many still came out for the festivities. "Newroz is a time when Kurds can express their existence here. No matter how much pressure they face, they will celebrate Newroz," she said.

Kurds protest Turkey's Afrin offensive during Newroz celebrations Festivities cut short The gathering in Diyarbakir ended abruptly on Wednesday, after younger attendees jumped security fences and rushed the stage. Police called for the celebrations to be cut short, but lingering groups continued to play drums and dance. "They always stop us early, but we enjoy ourselves as much as we can," said Nurettin, a male who gave only his first name. Author: Diego Cupolo



nm/rt (AFP, Reuters)

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