Author: missingafrinwomen

Five women were allegedly kidnapped in Afrin in February 2021. None were reported to have been released. Armed actors reported to be responsible for kidnappings of women in Afrin this month include the Military Police, the Civil Police, and Turkish security personnel.

On February 5th, Khalida Khalil was kidnapped from Afrin city by the Military Police and Turkish personnel, according to the Violations Documentation Center in Northeast Syria.

On February 15th, Havin Bakr Musa was kidnapped from Afrin city center by the Military and Civil Police while trying to travel to another village, along with her infant child. According to multiple sources, she has two other children, and her husband is disabled.

On February 23rd, three women— Suzan Battal Khader, Helin Battal Khader, and Amina Mustafa Qasim—were among many civilians detained in raids in the village of Basuta, after an explosion in a house killed two Afrin residents.

According to the Human Rights Organization – Afrin, Helin Battal Khader was the wife of one of the victims of the explosion. Suzan Battal Khader is the sister of Helin Battal Khader. Amina Mustafa Qasim is the mother of the other victim of the explosion.

The armed group responsible was not specified in any reports.

Three women and one girl were reported to have been kidnapped during the month of January. One was reportedly released, while the whereabouts of three remain unknown. Armed groups known to be responsible for kidnappings this month are Ahrar al Sharqiyah and Sultan Suleiman Shah.

On January 6th, Roshin Amouna Mohammed was kidnapped by an unknown armed group, according to a local source who spoke with the Missing Afrin Women Project. This was the second time that she had been abducted.

Roshin had recently been released after more than two years in custody. She was kidnapped for the first time in September 2018, from the village of Dar Kabir near Mobata.

In June 2020, she was identified as one of at least eight women in an illegal prison run by the Hamza Division.

She was released, along with three family members who had been kidnapped at the same time, on December 21st, 2020.

Information from the Afrin Canton Independent High Electoral Commission from 2015 suggests that she had been elected to the municipal council in Mobata when Afrin was controlled by the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria. This suggests that she may have been targeted for political reasons.

On January 19, a 16-year-old girl named Amal Fathi Rashid was reportedly abducted by Sultan Suleiman Shah from the village of Hec Bila, near Sheikh al-Hadid.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights corroborated the report. Sultan Suleiman Shah is known to control the area around Sheikh al-Hadid.

On January 23rd, Khaleda Hussein was reportedly kidnapped from a village near Jinderes by members of Ahrar al Sharqiyah. Multiple reports state that she is disabled.

The Afrin Activists Network alleges that two members of Ahrar al Sharqiyah, known as Hamad Jassim and Abu al-Aynaa, were the perpetrators. They also claim that she was being held at a house belonging to one of the leaders of the group.

On January 27th, she was released. The Human Rights Organization in Afrin claims that this was due in part to the widespread publicity the case received, which they claim forced authorities to act.

In late January, a woman named Berivan Shahin was reportedly kidnapped while traveling from Kafr Safreh to Jinderes by an unknown armed group. According to the Afrin Activists Network, she was taken to a prison in Kafr Janneh and then transferred to Idlib Governorate.

88 women and girls whose identities are known were reportedly kidnapped by Turkish-backed armed groups in Afrin, Syria in 2020, a rate of approximately one incident every four days.

As of January 1, 2021, 51 remained missing. 35 were reported to have been released. One had allegedly been murdered.

17 of the 35 individuals who have been released were reportedly freed after the payment of a ransom. Ransoms were paid in US dollars, Syrian pounds, or Turkish lira.

The months with the highest number of incidents were January, April, August and November, with 11 cases each; followed by December, with 10 cases. 

Armed Groups Implicated

The Syrian National Army (SNA) factions implicated in kidnappings in 2020 were Ahrar al Sham, Ahrar al Sharqiyah, Failaq al Sham, Hamza Division, Jabhat al Shamiyah, Jaish al Islam, Jaish al Nukhba, Jaish al Sharqiyah, Liwa al Waqqas, Liwa Samarkand, Liwa Sultan Mehmed Fatih, and Sultan Murad Division.

The Military Police and Civil Police, which are security forces made up of armed group members but directly organized by Turkey, were implicated as well, along with Turkish security forces themselves.

Some incidents involved more than one armed group.

The three SNA factions responsible for the most reported incidents—Ahrar al Sharqiyah, the Hamza Division, and the Sultan Murad Division—have all been implicated in reports of torture or sexual and gender-based violence since taking control of Afrin in 2018.

Of the SNA factions that were implicated in kidnappings this year, six— the Sultan Murad Division, the Hamza Division, Failaq al Sham, Jabhat al Shamiyah, Failaq al Sham, Jaish al Islam, and Jaish al Nukhba—had received some form of US support at some point in their history.

Abductions of Minors

Six minor girls were abducted in Afrin in 2020. Five of them remained missing as of January 1, 2021, while one had been released. Jaish al Nukhba, the Hamza Division, the Sultan Murad Division, Ahrar al Sharqiyah, and the Military Police kidnapped girls in 2021.

Allegations of Torture

14 cases, or about 15% of the incidents, included direct allegations of torture. Three of these individuals remained missing as of January 1, 2021, while 11 had been released. The Hamza Division, Failaq al Sham, Jabhat al Shamiyah, Jaish al Nukhba, Political Security, and the Military Police were all implicated in allegations of torture in 2021.

Allegations of Sexual Violence

Three cases included direct allegations of sexual violence. Two of these cases involved forced marriages, while the remaining case included an allegation of rape in detention. Two of these individuals remained missing as of January 1, 2021, while one had been released. The Hamza Division and the Sultan Murad Division were implicated in allegations of sexual violence in 2021.

Religious Minorities

Seven cases targeted women specifically identified as members of religious minority communities. Five Yezidi women and two Alevi women were reportedly abducted.Several of these kidnappings took place during broader raids by armed groups on certain villages historically home to religious minorities.

Five of the seven individuals were reportedly tortured in custody— a higher rate of allegations of torture than seen in general.

Interactive Map

Click below to view an interactive map with detailed information and sources on all reported 2020 incidents.

Eight women and two girls were allegedly kidnapped in occupied Afrin in the month of December. Seven of these individuals remain missing, two were reported to have been released, and one has reportedly been murdered. Three were reported to belong to religious minority communities. Armed groups implicated in kidnappings this month were Ahrar al Sharqiyah, Failaq al Sham, the Hamza Division, Jabhat al Shamiyah, and the Sultan Murad Division.

Ghazala Manan Hussein, a Yezidi woman from Basûfanê, was allegedly kidnapped from that village by Failaq al Sham in early December and taken to a prison in the village of Iska. The date of her abduction is unknown.

The Human Rights Organization in Afrin alleged that she and other Yezidi detainees from the village were tortured in custody.

On December 28th, the Human Rights Organization – Afrin noted that other Yezidi detainees had been released, but that her fate remained unknown.

In early December, Fatima Mahmoud Hunik and her thirteen-year-old daughter Alia Adnan Jammo were reportedly kidnapped from their home in Afrin’s Mahmudiyah neighborhood by the Hamza Division in a raid targeting their entire family, according to the Afrin Post. The family was subsequently handed over to the Military Police. The date of their abduction is unknown.

On December 3rd, Nadira Darmash was reportedly abducted from her home in Afrin city’s Old Afrin neighborhood by the Sultan Murad Division. According to the Afrin Post, she was subsequently murdered, and her body was left in the area. According to both the Afrin Post account and a separate allegation made by the Human Rights Organization in Afrin, militia members also stole valuables from her property, including a computer, a phone, cash, and multiple cars.

On December 6th, two women, Khaleda Sheikh Murad and Amina Abdo Murad, were kidnapped from the town of Jinderes by Ahrar al Sharqiyah.

According to local monitor Ezdina, the women were targeted on the basis of membership in a civilian neighborhood assembly under the Autonomous Administration.

On December 19th, two women, Hevin Hambasho and Rahila Mukhtar, were kidnapped from the town of Mobata by Jabhat al Shamiyah, during a raid that targeted large numbers of civilians around the village. The Afrin Civil Society Assembly first reported the raid and the names of the detainees on December 22nd.

According to the Human Rights Organization – Afrin, the victims belonged to the region’s Alevi religious minority.

On December 29th, the Human Rights Organization – Afrin reported that the two women and several other detainees had been released after about four days in custody, and claimed that they had been subjected to torture.

On December 21st, a sixteen-year-old girl, Fatima Mohammed Raskelah, was reportedly kidnapped by Ahrar al Sharqiyah.

On December 29th, Laila Mahmoud Jafar was reportedly kidnapped from the village of Mirkan by Jabhat al Shamiyah. According to the Afrin Media Network, her husband and teenage son had also been kidnapped by the group.

The Human Rights Organization – Afrin corroborated the disappearance of her husband, noting that he owned a shop in the village.

11 women were reported to have been kidnapped in occupied Afrin in November. One has allegedly been released, while 10 others remain missing. Armed groups claimed to be responsible for kidnappings during this month included the Military Police, Ahrar al Sharqiyah, and Ahrar al Sham.

On November 2nd, Berivan Hiso was reportedly kidnapped from the village of Çobana by the Military Police, along with her husband. She was released the same day.

At least one source alleged that the family was targeted so that armed groups could seize their olive groves.

On November 23rd, four women were allegedly kidnapped from Baflorê village in Jinderes: Aisha Hassou Hamid, Farida Hammu Hussein, Amina Hamid Hanan, and Shafiqa Mohammed.

The Afrin Activists Network claimed that the Military Police were responsible for the kidnapping, while the Human Rights Organization – Afrin said that Ahrar al Sharqiyah was responsible.

According to the Human Rights Organization – Afrin, the four women have been accused of dealing with the AANES and are being held in Jinderes on a ransom of 2,000 Turkish lira each.

Also on November 23rd, Gula Nouri Rashid, Moulida Mohammed Jabo, Halima Musa Jouleh, and Asya Mohammed Jarro were kidnapped from Rajo district by Ahrar al Sham. Gula Nouri Rashid and Halima Musa Jouleh had both allegedly been kidnapped in 2018 and subsequently released on ransom.

On November 26th, Nourhamin Kilo and Josephine Sheikho Hamid were kidnapped from Anqele village in Sheikh al-Hadid district by the Military Police.

While a male relative kidnapped at the same time may have been released on ransom, according to the Human Rights Organization – Afrin, the two women are thought to have been transferred to Turkey.

Background

In 2011, the United Nations declared October 11 as the International Day of the Girl Child, calling on member states to uphold the protections for girls included in the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women.

In 2020, the U.N. has chosen to observe this day by highlighting the provisions protecting girls’ rights in the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, which was adopted 20 years ago. It has specifically called on the international community to take action to protect girls from gender-based violence and harmful practices, including forced marriages and underage marriages.

17 girls whose names are known have been reported to have been kidnapped in occupied Afrin since 2018. Seven have reportedly been released, while the whereabouts of 10 others are unknown. Four were reportedly subjected to some form of torture or sexual violence in custody, including two alleged instances of forced marriages. Syrian National Army groups allegedly implicated in the kidnapping of minor girls include the Hamza Division, the Sultan Murad Division, Ahrar al Sharqiya, Jaysh al Nukhba, Jabhat al Shamiyah, Failaq al Sham, and the Turkish-backed Military Police.

The most recent report from the U.N. Commission of Inquiry on Syria stated that “women and girls have been detained by Syrian National Army fighters, and subjected to rape and sexual violence – causing severe physical and psychological harm at the individual level, as well as at the community level.” Reports from human rights monitors also suggest that rates of underage marriages are increasing in Afrin, due to both violence from armed groups and a lack of legal protections.

10 Girls Still Missing

The 10 reported cases of missing girls in Afrin seen by the Missing Afrin Women Project include incidents that took place as early as January 2018 and as recently as September 2020.

Aya Nuri Rasho, 13 at the date of the incident, and Nura Nuri Rasho, 11 at the date of the incident, were allegedly kidnapped along with several relatives by an unidentified armed group in Bulbul in January 2018.

Asia Shabaan Ibrahim, 16 at the date of the incident, was allegedly abducted along with her brother in March 2018 from the village of Hesen Dera by an unidentified armed group. Some reports indicate that her brother was killed in custody, while others allege that he remains missing as well.

Yasemin Hesen, 12 at the date of the incident, was allegedly abducted from Darmashkanlī village in May 2018 by an unknown armed group and forced to marry one of its members.

Rojin Mohammed, 17 at the date of the incident, was allegedly kidnapped by the Sultan Murad Division or the Hamza Division in July 2018, following the kidnapping of her sister Lonjin Mohammed and her father Mohammed Khalil Abdo.

On June 15th, 2020, Afrin Post identified Rojin as one of the women detained in an illegal prison run by the Hamza Division in Afrin city. A member of the family told Rudaw on June 17th that the sisters were likely now held in a Hamza Division base in Bassouta.

Jihan Tana, 17 at the date of the incident, was allegedly abducted from Jinderes in August 2018 by members of Nour al-Din al-Zenki Movement, along with several relatives.

Lafa Mustafa Yousef, 17 at the date of the incident, was allegedly abducted from her family’s home in the Mahmoudiyah neighborhood of Afrin city by members of an unknown armed group in November 2018. The group reportedly stole 350,000 SYP from the home.

Shatha Khalil Mustafa, underage at the date of the incident, was allegedly abducted from Ba‘dinlī village near Rajo by the Military Police in March 2020.

Melek Nabih Khalil Juma, 16 at the date of the incident, was allegedly abducted by the Sultan Murad Division in May 2020 after refusing marriage proposals from a member of the group.

Some sources initially claimed that she was murdered, though others later identified the body found near Azaz and claimed to be hers as a different woman who had been killed by a male relative. In an interview published by Hawar News, a relative stated that her family did not know where she was or if she was alive or not.

Maryam Afdik Sheikho, 17 at the date of the incident, was allegedly kidnapped by Ahrar al Sharqiyah in September 2020. She was accused of dealing with the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria.

Rates of Underage Marriage Increasing

Kidnappings, forced marriages, and other threats posed by armed groups have also led to a reported increase in underage marriages in occupied Afrin, according to a report published by the Violations Documentation Center in Northeast Syria.

Some families have reportedly forced their underage daughters to marry relatives in order to “protect” them from armed groups. A video obtained by the Missing Afrin Women Project shows one alleged incidence of a man beating his wife after she had refused to allow a member of an armed group to marry their daughter.

Underage marriage and forced marriage were both outlawed by the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria when it controlled Afrin. Civil society organizations worked to stop these practices when they took place and raise awareness of their harmful effects. Similar efforts have not been made by Turkish-backed authorities.

Recommendations

The United Nations Commission of Inquiry on Syria has found that, in areas of Syria under Turkey’s effective control, Turkey “remains bound by applicable human rights treaty obligations vis-à-vis all individuals present in such territories.”

U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Michele Bachelet has called on Turkey to “immediately launch an impartial, transparent and independent investigation into the incidents we have verified, account for the fate of those detained and abducted by the affiliated armed groups and hold accountable those responsible for what may, in some instances, amount to crimes under international law, including war crimes.”

Turkey has adopted the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, the Convention on the Rights of the Child, and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women. By allowing abductions and disappearances of girls and sexual and gender-based violence against girls to take place in Afrin, and overseeing an environment of violence and gender discrimination there that has “in effect confined [women and girls] to their homes,” Turkey is in violation of these commitments.

The international community must hold Turkey and the SNA fully accountable for all violations of girls’ rights in Afrin and other occupied regions of Syria, and demand an end to all forms of sexual and gender-based violence and gender discrimination in these areas.

Seven women were reported to have been kidnapped by armed groups in occupied Afrin in September. Only one has allegedly been released.

On September 6th, two women, Tolin Rashid and Medya Khanjar, were kidnapped by the Military Police and Turkish personnel. Both were allegedly affiliated with the local government in Mobata district. One source claimed that Khanjar is the daughter of Ibrahim Khanjar, whom they identified as a member of the local council.

Khanjar was reportedly released on or before September 13th. According to the Human Rights Organization – Afrin, a ransom of 600 to 1,000 Turkish lira was set for each of the detainees kidnapped in the operation.

On September 9th, Fatima Qara Mustafa was reportedly kidnapped from Jinderes, in a raid that also targeted the head of the Turkish-backed local council and other local government employees.

Earlier that day, a message posted by the Free Syria News Network, a pro-rebel Telegram channel, identified Qara Mustafa as the wife of Essam al-Bakr, who was also identified as one of the individuals kidnapped in the raid. The channel stated that Qara Mustafa had not yet been arrested, but accused her of espionage and called for her to be targeted.

On September 10th, Khadija Sari bint Abu Abdo was reportedly kidnapped from Jinderes by the Military Police. She was accused of dealing with the AANES, and reportedly worked at a privately-owned pharmacy.

Also on September 10th, a girl named Maryam Afdik Sheikho, born in 2003, was reportedly kidnapped by members of Ahrar al Sharqiyah. She was accused of dealing with the Autonomous Administration.

On September 19th, a 55-year-old woman named Aufa Sido was reportedly kidnapped by an unknown armed group while traveling from her home in Mahmudiyah neighborhood in Afrin city to visit relatives.

On September 23rd, a woman identified only as Zainab, the wife of Khalil Attar, was was reportedly kidnapped from Ashrafiyah neighborhood in Afrin city by members of Jabhat al Shamiyah. The group allegedly stole $2,500 from their home.