As the mass protests that started after the Turkish-backed Syrian National Army (SNA) militants killed four Kurds celebrating Newroz in the Jindires district in northwest Syria’s Afrin continued to intensify on the third day, political parties in northern Syria called on the United Nations to put the SNA on the terrorism list.
Jindires saw an uprising of thousands of Kurdish citizens on Tuesday during the burial of the Kurdish people who were killed a day earlier by Ahrar al-Sharqiya, a faction affiliated with the Turkish-backed SNA. The widespread anger among Kurdish people in the region continued on Wednesday and Thursday, with protesters demanding the withdrawal of all Turkish-backed factions from the region.
“This crime reveals the reality of what is happening in the occupied areas by Turkish forces and its mercenaries, especially in the Afrin region, which is suffering at the hands of ISIS and al-Nusra remnants,” a statement released on Thursday by political parties in northeastern Syria reads, calling for the SNA to be placed on the international terrorism list.
After the incident, the SNA announced the arrest of the individuals, who killed four Kurdish citizens and injured others, while its factions denied any affiliation with the attackers. However, the group has rarely held its factions accountable for the human rights abuses committed in the past six years, according to Human Rights Watch (HRW).
“These killings come after over five years of unaddressed human rights abuses at the hands of Turkish forces and the local Syrian factions they empower,” said Adam Coogle, deputy Middle East director at HRW on Wednesday. “Turkey has allowed these fighters to abuse people living in the areas under their control with impunity, risking making itself complicit in the violations.”
Newroz celebrations were prohibited after Turkey captured the Kurdish city of Afrin in 2018, and Kurds who celebrated by lighting bonfires in their homes were arrested. In fact, one of the first acts of the Turkish forces and their allied Syrian groups after taking over control of the region was to destroy a statue of Kawa, the symbol of Newroz.
Although the Newroz ban in Afrin was lifted in 2021 after international condemnation, the ceremonies are still held under strict Turkish supervision.
The Syrian Democratic Council (SDC) also called for a demilitarised humanitarian zone in Afrin on Wednesday, and for the expulsion of the Turkish-backed Syrian opposition factions from the region.
“The crime cannot be separated from the context of occupation, displacement and incitement against the Kurds nor can it be isolated from the context of chaos, gang rule, and the absence of law,” said the SDC.
Meanwhile, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), an al-Qaeda offshoot Islamist group, entered Jindires from its stronghold in Idlib, claiming to protect the funeral. On Tuesday, the group took over the headquarters of the SNA militias in Jindires, according to the Rojava Information Centre.
