The Violations Documentation Centre in the northern Syrian city of Afrin (Efrîn) has reported that at least 32 people have been abducted in Afrin over the past month.
The Documentation Centre, which works in northern and eastern Syria, revealed a disturbing trend of abductions in the region, with the identities of the victims published by Hawar news agency (ANHA).
According to the centre, a significant number of those abducted were targeted for refusing to pay bribes and protection money to paramilitary groups operating under Turkish control, highlighting a worrying security situation in which non-compliance becomes a catalyst for abductions.
Afrin, once a predominantly Kurdish city, has been under Turkish control and affiliated Syrian paramilitary groups since 2018, raising international concerns due to various human rights abuses reported in the region.
Ongoing reports detail serious human rights violations committed by Turkish forces and their Syrian allies, including killings, torture, enforced disappearances, kidnapping for ransom, confiscation of property and forced displacement, affecting mainly the indigenous population.
The Human Rights Organisation in Afrin has also revealed alarming statistics, holding Turkey and its backers responsible for the killing of 706 civilians, the abduction of 9,008 people (including 1,200 women and 600 children) and numerous sexual assaults since 2018.
After Turkish-led forces captured Afrin region in northern Syria, they began settling Arab refugees who had fled to Turkey from southern Syria into the homes of displaced locals.
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Olive trees, symbol of Afrin, uprooted for profit
Recent revelations include the destruction of agricultural land and the uprooting and sale of olive trees. A video circulating online shows Turkish-controlled groups removing rare olive trees in Afrin, some over 100 years old, for export to Turkey.
The olive tree holds symbolic importance for Afrin, once home to an estimated 13 million olive trees, as it serves as a representation of the region. Since the Turks took over the region, there have been frequent reports of olives being confiscated by the Turkish-backed forces and exported to Turkey, and only companies registered in Turkey have been allowed to operate there.
When Kurds in the region accused Turkey of stealing the olives in 2019, Turkey’s then Agriculture Minister Bekir Pakdemirli admitted as much in parliament, saying, “We do not want the revenues to fall into PKK hands.”
In August 2021 an agricultural engineer by the name of Hanif Reshit reported the removal of 650,000 olive trees from the region since 2018.
As alleged violations by Turkish forces and allied groups continue, the European Centre for Constitutional and Human Rights (ECCHR) and Syrians for Truth and Justice (STJ) recently lodged a joint complaint with the German Federal Prosecutor demanding a full investigation into crimes committed by Turkish-backed Islamic militias in Afrin.
