Activists with the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that a Kurdish woman was assaulted yesterday, Tuesday, by armed tribal men while passing through one of the streets of the market in the town of Ain Issa, north of Raqqa, amid the absence of security authorities' intervention to stop the incident or hold those responsible accountable.
According to information reported by the Observatory, a number of armed men assaulted the woman by striking her back with stones in the middle of the market, in front of passersby. The incident sparked anger and resentment among local residents, amid fears that such attacks could affect civil peace, particularly in areas experiencing security and social sensitivities.
The Observatory linked the assault to the state of tension prevailing in several Syrian areas following protests organized by Kurdish citizens in various parts of Hasakah and Kobani, in condemnation of what happened to Kurdish returnees to the city of Sere Kaniyeh/Ras al-Ain. The protests included the removal of the Syrian flag from some security and service institutions, contributing to heightened tensions and provoking varying reactions.
In a related development, activists with the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitored today, Wednesday, the departure of a number of displaced people who had been living in homes owned by Kurdish citizens in the village of Metkalta, in the western countryside of Kri Sipi/Tal Abyad, after occupying them for 7 years.
According to information obtained by the Observatory, before leaving, the departing occupants looted the contents of the homes, including removing and stealing doors and windows, stripping out electrical equipment and fixtures, and damaging some walls, leaving a number of the homes unusable and unfit for habitation.
One of the residents of Metkalta village in the western countryside of Tal Abyad said in a testimony to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights: “The displaced people who had been living in our home looted all of its contents, leaving nothing but the walls. They also burned the trees in the home’s garden days before they left, leaving the house out of service and unfit for habitation.”
Kurdish displaced people say that the continuation of such violations makes their return to their areas of origin more difficult, amid concerns over the safety of their property and homes. Several of them confirmed that they have endured difficult living and humanitarian conditions since being displaced following Operation “Peace Spring” in October 2019, moving between camps and rented homes.
Displaced people questioned the reasons for the silence of the authorities concerned in the transitional government regarding what is happening to the property of Kurdish citizens in the Tal Abyad area, despite the ongoing understandings under the agreement concluded at the end of last January between the transitional government and the Syrian Democratic Forces, which included provisions concerning the creation of the necessary conditions for the return of displaced people to their areas of origin.
One displaced person from the western countryside of Tal Abyad said that violations targeting Kurdish homes and property in the areas of Ras al-Ain and southern Kobani had not received a serious response from the authorities concerned in the transitional government, considering that continued silence over what is happening in Tal Abyad increases the suffering of the displaced and deepens their sense of insecurity.
In another testimony, one of the area's residents pointed to the continued presence of factions allied with Turkey in Tal Abyad, saying that members incorporated into formations of the Syrian Ministry of Defense continue to seize homes owned by displaced Kurdish citizens, without effective measures being taken to stop these violations or restore the rights of their owners.
It is worth noting that the displaced people who occupied the homes in the Tal Abyad area come from various Syrian provinces, and settled there following the Turkish invasion of the area with the support of Syrian factions loyal to it during Operation “Peace Spring” in October 2019.
These developments come at a time when the issue of the return of Kurdish displaced people to the Tal Abyad area, “Kri Sipi,” remains unresolved, amid growing fears over continued violations against their homes and property, particularly following the events that took place in the city of Ras al-Ain, “Sere Kaniyeh,” days ago, and the attacks and violations that accompanied the return of some Kurdish displaced people to their areas of origin.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights called on the authorities concerned in the transitional government to take urgent steps to protect the property of displaced people, open transparent investigations into the violations and hold those responsible accountable, and work to provide a safe and stable environment that guarantees the voluntary and dignified return of displaced people to their areas of origin, while restoring rights and property to their owners and compensating those affected for the losses they have suffered.
The Observatory also warned of the dangers of continued attacks of a nationalist or retaliatory nature, calling for urgent measures to prevent such incidents from recurring and to preserve social peace, amid rising tensions among local communities in several Syrian areas.
Note: This text is translated from the original Arabic version. Read the Arabic version:Click here
