The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights

November 2019

The Turkey-loyal factions continue to commit serious violations contrary to human rights charters and international treaties, in the areas they controlled through the Turkish military operation “Peace Spring,” which started on the 9th of October 2019, and according to sources of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, the Turkish Forces are currently forming a local council in Ras al-Ayn (Sari Kani) city loyal to them, where the formation of the Council failed for the third time due to differences between the candidates and due to the control of the factions and the Turkish state over the council’s decisions and movements, and according to what sources of the Syrian Observatory confirmed, it is scheduled to form a new council after the third attempt failed in forming the council in completely Turkey-loyal form.

And In terms of violations against the civilians, the Syrian Observatory obtained documented information revealing the settlement of families from Idlib; who had been brought from their areas to the civilians’ homes in Ras al-Ayn, in order to bring about demographic change in the area, the sources said: “the violations are still taking place, beginning with robbery, stealing, and kidnapping, through fabricating accusations against civilians of belonging to the Autonomous Administration institutions and arresting them, until demanding large sums of money for their release.”

According to sources of the Syrian Observatory, there are still differences between those who are being resettled in the city whether by stick-and-carrot approach or by forcing, according to what the reliable sources revealed yesterday, where “there are differences between those who have been resettled and the Turkey-loyal factions, and they reached a point of insulting exhorters, and some armed factions arrested several of the settlers who came to the area, and accused them with several charges including sedition, defamation of the national army, and other charges.”

The Syrian Observatory obtained information about the neighborhoods of Ras al-Ayn city and its current status after most of its inhabitants have fled, where reliable sources confirmed that “most of those who are settled in the city are being settled in the neighborhoods of al-Mahatta and al-Ghabra, while the other neighborhoods are almost civilian-free, and the original people are prohibited from returning to the city; under the pretext of insecurity in the rest of the neighborhoods, while the truth is that the Turkey-loyal factions have not finished yet stealing the contents of civilian’s homes in these neighborhoods.”

And regarding the general social conditions in Ras al-Ayn, reliable sources revealed that there is a policy of imposing a situation of make-everything-Turkish over the area, where the schools and other institutions in the city now use Turkish as the official language in their dealings. what the Syrian north is exposed to is ethnic genocide and systematic demographic change, where the areas that have been controlled recently are subject to continuous systematic make-everything-Turkish process, similar to what happened in other areas that fell under the control of the Turkish Forces, just like what happened in Afrin before.”

The situation in the areas that fell under the control of the Turkish Forces and the factions loyal to them in the Syrian north within “Peace Spring” military operation, just like the situation in the areas that were previously under the Turkish control within the “Olive Branch” and “Euphrates Shield” operations; requires the urgent intervention of the international community to stop the ethnic genocide, demographic change, and the imposition of make-everything-Turkish on that area.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights renews its appeals to the concerned organizations, the United Nations, and the Security Council, to intervene and stop the violations of the Turkish Forces and the factions loyal to them against the civilians of the Syrian people, and the Syrian Observatory warns of the repercussions of Turkey’s policy in the areas under its control, because of its disastrous effects on the Syrian society and its fabric and demographics of the different Syrian areas, the Observatory also warns that the aim of Turkish military operations is to create a safe belt loyal to Turkey, as well as other undeclared goals.