State of the Occupation Q3 2021: Uptick in Rights Violations, Increased Infighting Throughout the Summer

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Download the full report here.

RIC’s quarterly report on the state of the Turkish occupation in Northern Syria tracks human rights violations and crimes committed by Turkey and Turkish-backed SNA groups in the occupied regions of Afrin and the ‘M4 Strip’ – the border region between the occupied cities of Sere Kaniye and Tel Abyad. 

During the third quarter of 2021 (July-September), RIC found among other things:

• 313 arrests across Turkish-occupied areas – considerably higher than in Q2 (150), though not as high as Q1 (363)
• 21 cases of gender-based violence were recorded across Afrin, including the arrest of a 17-year-old in Tel Abyad who remains missing
• Increasing arrests of Arab clan members. In an interview with the RIC, members of the Bu Khamis clan said life in Afrin had become “tragic”
• Major restructuring inside the SNA following months of bad press & sanctions, as well as major threats of war against NES in October
• Turkey & Turkish-backed militias have weaponized water throughout the harvest season
• The use of a desecrated cemetry in Afrin as a tool for disinformation

The report includes sections on unlawful arrests, settlements, expropriation, infighting, bombings and shelling and more. Testimonies at the end of the report provide further insight into specific violations.

Journalists and researchers may contact RIC to gain access to the full database, additional interviews with survivors, as well as our interactive map showing faction ownership and geolocated bases within occupied territory. These maps formed the basis for those featured in our report, which were designed by @LCarabinier.