Thousands of people were forced to leave their homes when Ras al-Ayn (Serêkaniyê) fell under the control of Turkey and its proxies two years ago.
On 9 October 2019 Turkey entered Ras al-Ayn and Tell Abiad in Syrian Kurdistan. Hundreds of civilians died as a result of the operations, and many more became refugees in camps in various parts of Syria.
People who left their homes and lands still live in hope of returning to their homes one day and struggle to that end, ANHA reports.
According to human rights organisations and legal institutions in North and East Syria at least 150,000 people have been forced to leave their homes and land due to Turkey’s attacks.
In addition to the right to return to their homes, the migrants are also calling for Turkey to be prosecuted for its crimes. In this context, the Serêkaniyê Committee for Migrants, established at the beginning of August, has documented many crimes committed by Turkey and its proxies. The purpose of the committee is to hand these documents over to legal institutions around the world and to ensure that Turkey is held responsible for these crimes.
The Serêkaniyê Committee for Migrants, which was introduced to the public following a workshop held in Al-Hasakah (Hesekê), has more than 250 members from various sectors of society. At the workshop, important decisions were made regarding the working of the committee and its objectives. The Committee said that the first objective was to bring an immediate end to the Turkish occupation of Ras al-Ayn. The committee will also help migrants by monitoring their demands and needs.
Giving a briefing on the Committee’s work, Committee Spokesperson Nûra Nezîr said that they continue to document Turkey’s crimes and submit them to international law institutions.
“We want Turkey to be called to account for those crimes,” she said. Recalling that dozens of crimes such as theft, plunder, robbery and kidnapping were committed in the regions controlled by Turkey, Nûra also noted that armed gangs were transported through the cities under Turkey’s control into Syria.
Nûra said that since the Committee was established it had documented 382 incidents of abduction, noting that of those abducted 90 have been sentenced to life imprisonment by Turkey. She also said that 48 of those abducted were women, adding that two women had been murdered by Turkey and its armed groups.
“Turkey is changing the demographic structure in the regions, this is also a crime,” said Nûra adding that the course materials being used for teaching in the schools are Turkish, and the right to education in the mother language is not provided to the students.
“Many places have been renamed with Turkish names. They are Turkifying the region” she stated.
