US urges parties to stop attacks on civilians after Newroz killing
ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The US Embassy in Syria on Saturday expressed concerns over the violence in Afrin’s Jindires district on March 20.
“Violence like that witnessed in Jinderes on March 20 threatens Syria’s stability. We urge all parties to halt civilian attacks and call for accountability,” the US Embassy in Syria said.
Sinam Mohamad, the Syrian Democratic Council (SDC) representative in Washington, tweeted that human rights violations against Kurds in Afrin continue. “The killing and torturing of civilians is still on-going.”
Read More: PM Barzani condemns the killing of four Kurdish civilians in Afrin
In March, four Kurdish civilians were killed by an armed group that fired on them attempting to light the Newroz torch.
The New York-based Human Rights Watch said they were killed when a verbal dispute erupted between a member of the Jaysh Al-Sharqiyah faction and a Kurdish family, They called on Turkey to investigate the killings.
Violence like that witnessed in Jinderes on March 20 threatens Syria’s stability. We urge all parties to halt civilian attacks and call for accountability.
— U.S. Embassy Syria (@USEmbassySyria) April 1, 2023
Read More: Turkey should investigate killings in Afrin: HRW
Following the killings, several Kurdish protests took place in Syrian Kurdish towns and abroad.
The German Envoy to Syria, Stefan Schneck, on March 24 also condemned the ‘tragic loss of lives’ in a tweet and called for an immediate investigation.
Shalal Gedo, the representative of the Kurdish National Council (KNC) in the Syrian opposition, told Kurdistan 24 on Saturday that the KNC in a meeting with the Turkish Foreign Ministry demanded the judicial prosecution of the perpetrators of the Jindires massacre in Turkish courts. The KCN said it has no faith in the courts in areas under Syrian opposition control.
Gedo also pointed out that so far, four perpetrators of the Newroz killing have been arrested and two are still at large.
"We also want Turkey to draw a line against acts committed by armed groups against the people of Afrin and Cindires," Geddo said.
Turkey, for its part, confirmed an investigation into the Afrin situation will be conducted, including the actions of the armed forces in the area.
However, despite Turkey’s promises to examine the situation in Afrin, reports of human rights violations continue to emerge in areas under Turkish control.
Human rights organizations have accused Turkish-backed militias of carrying out arbitrary detentions, rape, torture, and summary executions against civilians.
Furthermore, Turkish authorities have been accused of carrying out a campaign of demographic change in the region, replacing the native Kurdish population by settling Arabs from other areas in Syria.
Despite international pressure, it remains to be seen whether Turkey will take concrete actions to address these concerns and improve the human rights situation in Afrin.