Asmîn Hêlîn

 

ŞEHBA - Afrin Human Rights member Nayele Mihemed, who stated that women organized themselves in every field when democratic autonomy was declared in Afrin, said that women were especially targeted with the attacks. ‘’Women cannot even go out anymore due to abduction, harassment and rapes,’’ Nayele said.

 

On March 18, 2018, Turkey and its affiliated groups carried out attacks on the Afrin Canton. From that day until today, while killing, abduction and torture have been taking place, grave crimes against humanity continue to be committed against the people of Afrin. With the policies carried out regarding the canton, where peace and security has not been ensured since the day it came under Turkey’s control, women are mostly targeted.

Afrin Human Rights member Nayele Mihemed evaluated what has happened since the beginning of the attacks on the canton.

 

‘They want to break the will of women’

 

Stating that inhumane incidents took place in Afrin, Nayele said, ‘’A local assembly has been established in Afrin for a while. At the call of this assembly, the people returned to their villages. Those who returned to their villages were abducted and some of them are missing. Most of these abducted are women. The main purpose of the abductions is to break the will of women. When the democratic autonomy was declared in Afrin, women organized themselves in every field. After the occupation, women became targets everywhere. Because of the abduction, harassment and rapes, women cannot even go out anymore. For example, women named Ferîde Mistefa Arîn, Solîn Berekat, Rojîn and İmayet were kidnapped and ransom demanded from their families’’.

 

‘Dirty things is being carried out in Afrin’

 

Noting that they always see themselves under threat due to gangs, Nayele said, ‘’They are having problems among themselves in the last period due to the decrease in the income of the gangs. Especially the ‘El Hemzet’ gangs affiliated with Turkey, led by Sultan Murad, is lead of these problems. Dirty incidents and things are carried out almost every day. There have been many incidents in Afrin in recent processes, but no results have been obtained. Last month, the local assembly announced that everything in Afrin is going through the natural flow of life. Upon this statement, many people returned to Afrin. However, it later became clear that this was a game. It has been learned that a normal life in Afrin is not possible’’.

 

‘Let the UN come and see what are happening in Afrin’

 

Stating that houses are pillaged and belongings stolen by gangs almost every day, Nayele said, ‘’At the moment, people in Afrin are being kidnapped by gangs and a ransom is being demanded from their relatives. As human rights defenders, this is our call to all institutions. Let them come and do research in Afrin. In particular, our call is to the United Nations (UN). Let the women of the world come and see what are happening in Afrin. If these are not reflected to the public opinion at the moment, measures cannot be taken in this regard. There are many incidents that have happened. But we cannot figure out what caused it because it was covered up’’.