The Committee of Serêkaniyê IDPs issued a statement regarding the ‘People’s Assembly’ elections organized by the Syrian Transitional Government in the occupied cities of Serêkaniyê (Ras al-Ain) and Girê Spî (Tal Abyad).
“On behalf of the thousands of people from Serêkaniyê who were forced to flee their homes due to occupation attacks in 2019, we reject the elections held in the city by the de facto administration. We declare that these elections are illegitimate and unjust from a moral and legal standpoint. We emphasize that these elections do not reflect the will of the city’s ancestral population,” said the statement on Thursday.
The statement pointed out that the elections were held without regard for the incontestable rights of thousands of Serêkaniyê IDPs to return to their homeland and establish a free, secure civil and political life, alongside systematic demographic changes.
At least 85% of the original population of Serêkaniyê were forced to migrate to other regions of North and East Syria and their right to return was violated, said the Committee, adding, “Therefore, these elections are neither legitimate nor fair.”
The statement emphasized that any election conducted under occupation and forced displacement violates international human rights law and the following international agreements:
-Article 25 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights guarantees citizens the right to freely participate in employment and general administrative processes.
– According to the 1949 Geneva Conventions, occupying powers are prohibited from making demographic or political changes in occupied territories.
According to Article 21 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the will of the people is the foundation of legitimate authority.
The statement noted that a fair and lasting solution to the Serêkaniyê issue depends on the implementation of the relevant clause of the March 10 Agreement concerning the safe return of refugees.
The Committee pointed out that as long as IDPs cannot return to their homeland and exercise their political rights there, these elections will not ensure the genuine representation of the people of Serêkaniyê and will be neither legitimate nor ethical.
Calling on the United Nations, international organizations, and relevant human rights actors to fulfill their responsibilities, end unjust approximations, and monitor agreements on the safe return of migrants, the Committee stated that, “The safe return of IDPs to their own lands is a fundamental condition for any fair and lasting political solution.”