The councils called for opening serious and comprehensive investigations to uncover the perpetrators of the attack and the parties behind them, stressing that the repeated targeting of martyrs’ shrines reveals negligence in their protection.
The vandalism incident at the martyrs’ shrine in the Kurdish-majority Sheikh Maqsood neighborhood of Aleppo city has sparked a wave of condemnations in Rojava (Western Kurdistan). Today, the Martyrs’ Families Councils in Qamishli, Tirbespiyê (Al-Qahtaniyah), Amuda, Chil Agha (Al-Jawadiyah), Girkê Legê (Al-Muabbada), Dêrik (Al-Malikiyah), and Dirbesiyê issued a joint statement demanding that those responsible for the attack be held accountable and that the protection of martyrs’ shrines be guaranteed.
The statement was read out in front of the headquarters of the Martyrs’ Families Councils in the aforementioned cities, in both Kurdish and Arabic, with the participation of council members, martyrs’ families, local residents, and representatives of civil institutions, women’s movements, and political parties.
The councils emphasized that the attack on the shrine two days ago is not limited to the vandalism of stones and tombstones, but rather constitutes an offense against the sanctity of the martyrs’ blood and the national and humanitarian symbolism embodied by their shrines.
In their statement, the councils recalled previous incidents of vandalism that targeted martyrs’ shrines in the city of Shaddadi and other areas and cities, including the targeting of martyrs’ photos and graves, noting that the recurrence of these violations comes as part of a series of ongoing attacks.
The statement pointed out that the continuation of these acts reveals negligence in protecting the martyrs’ shrines and places the relevant authorities responsible for the integration file before non-deferrable moral and executive responsibilities.
In this context, the councils demanded that the concerned authorities assume their direct responsibilities in protecting the martyrs’ shrines and safeguarding them from acts of vandalism, as well as taking immediate action to open serious and comprehensive investigations that uncover the perpetrators of these acts and the parties behind them. They urged that they be held accountable publicly and with the highest degree of transparency, so that firmness and justice serve as a deterrent to anyone attempting to infringe upon the dignity of the martyrs.
In conclusion, the Martyrs’ Families Councils stressed that the martyrs’ graves and photos will remain immune to erasure or harm, confirming their commitment to fulfilling their responsibility to protect this trust and remain faithful to the pledge they made.
