The month of May saw one child killed and 53 people abducted in Afrin, while hundreds of trees were cut down in the northern Syrian city under Turkey’s control, Hawar news agency reported, citing a study by the Afrin-Syria Human Rights Organisation.
The child was killed as supporters of Recep Tayyip Erdoğan celebrated his re-election as president by firing rifles into the air. At least 25 people were injured on the same night.
Four out of the 53 abductees were women, all abducted for ransom by pro-Turkey factions and mercenaries in the city, the organisation found.
Turkish forces and their proxies cut down 900 olive and fruit trees, further harming biodiversity and agricultural livelihood in the region. The cutting and occasional removal of olive trees in Afrin has continued since 2018.
The occupation forces are also accused of engineering a demographic shift in the city, as Turkey continues to construct new settlements in the region.
There are some 3.5 million Syrian nationals in Turkey under a temporary protection status, according to official figures. Actual numbers are estimated to be much higher, and more than a decade after the conflict broke out, the issue of refugees has become one of the most controversial in the country. Erdoğan’s plans to reduce tensions include a resettlement scheme, which has brought accusations of ethnic cleansing against Turkey. Syrians displaced from all around the war-torn country, most of whom are ethnically Arab, will be settled in formerly majority Kurdish areas, according to the Turkish government’s plans.
Construction had finished for settlements funded by Qatari, Kuwaiti and Palestinian organisations, Hawar said.
