The Shehba Migrants Committee issued a written statement condemning the wave of arrests targeting civilians in the Shehba, Til Eran, and Til Hasilê regions, saying, “Arrest operations carried out by Turkish-backed armed groups within the knowledge of the Transitional Government’s security forces, have now ceased to be isolated incidents and have become a systematic situation aimed at intimidating the local population and forcibly displacing them from their homes.”
The Committee reported that people living in the Shehba region have been detained, forcibly disappeared, and tortured for years. It noted that the policies of oppression and discrimination against Kurds continue despite the political and social changes in the country. The Committee pointed out that international powers remain silent and fail to hold anyone accountable for these policies.
Emphasizing that the Shehba region had become an area of blatant violations, the Committee said: “Residents of the region are forcibly displaced and have their property confiscated, while the region’s demographics are being systematically altered.”
The Committee stated that the Syrian Transitional Government and mercenaries affiliated with the occupying Turkish state were responsible for these violations and called for the release of abducted civilians and an end to the violations. The United Nations and international legal organizations were called upon to immediately cease the violations and to pressure Ankara to protect the lives of civilians.
Calling for the implementation of Article 5 of the March 10 agreement on the safe return of IDPs, the Committee stated that “Stability cannot be achieved in Syria unless detention and deportation policies are halted and the safe and dignified return of IDPs is ensured.”