Following the recent US sanctions against two Turkish-backed Syrian National Army (SNA) militias, Meghan Bodette emphasises the gendered harms of Turkey’s war on Kurds, shedding light on the serious human rights abuses against women in Afrin (Efrîn), northwestern Syria in an article for Kurdish Peace Institute on Friday.
The United States’ decision to impose sanctions on two Turkey-backed Syrian National Army (SNA) militias has been meticulously analysed by Meghan Bodette in her latest article for the Kurdish Peace Institute (KPI). The sanctions, announced this week by the Department of the Treasury, target the Suleiman Shah Brigade and the Hamza Division for their serious human rights abuses against Kurds and women in Afrin, northwestern Syria.
Bodette’s article delves into the gendered nature of these abuses, stating, “The sanctions highlight the sexual and gender-based violence, as well as the targeting of ethnic Kurds, committed by the Suleiman Shah Brigade and the Hamza Division.” She further explores the connection between Turkey’s strategy in northern Syria and its domestic Kurdish conflict, recommending increased engagement with human rights activists and Kurdish-led groups.
According to Bodette, the sanctions were imposed under Executive Order 13894, responding to Turkey’s invasion of Ras al-Ayn and Tell Abyad in 2019. She notes that this authority was first identified as a tool against Turkey-backed groups responsible for violations against Kurdish women in a US Department of Defense report to Congress in 2020.
Bodette’s research has been instrumental in documenting the human rights abuses at the hands of Turkish-backed forces in northern Syria. Her work, including the Missing Afrin Women Project, has consistently found the Hamza Division and Suleiman Shah Brigade among the worst offenders in terms of abuses against Kurdish and Yazidi women.
In her article, Bodette urges the US to “continue to publicly condemn and hold accountable perpetrators of human rights abuses targeting Kurdish women.” She also emphasises the importance of recognising the gendered harms of Turkey’s military campaigns against Kurdish groups, reflecting a growing awareness of the unique gendered harms the conflict causes and the threat they pose to regional stability and security.
