Syrian Rights and Women’s Groups Warn of Alleged War Crimes and Genocide

Syrian Rights and Women’s Groups Warn of Alleged War Crimes and Genocide
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A coalition of Syrian human rights, women’s, and civil society organizations has issued an urgent joint appeal warning of what it described as serious violations against Kurds in Syria, saying the alleged abuses could amount to war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide.

In a statement dated January 22, seen by Shia Waves News Agency, the Syrian Federation of Human Rights Organizations, along with dozens of other rights and women’s groups, said it had received reports of what it called violent attacks and an “inhumane siege” imposed on the city of Kobani and areas of Hasakah province under the Autonomous Administration. The statement said electricity, water, flour, and medicines had been cut off, leading to a severe shortage of basic supplies.

The organizations alleged that forces affiliated with the interim government, together with Syrian armed factions and tribal fighters, and with what they described as the supervision or complicity of Turkish forces, were responsible for widespread violations. These allegedly included killings, arbitrary arrests, sieges, starvation, forced displacement, and demographic change aimed at intimidating civilians and forcing them to leave their areas.

According to the statement, the reported actions constitute serious breaches of international humanitarian law and international human rights law, resulting in hundreds of casualties and the displacement of thousands of residents. The groups said some incidents amounted to massacres with an ethnic cleansing character.

The signatories called on the United Nations, the UN Security Council, the Human Rights Council, and international and regional organizations to take urgent and effective action. They urged sustained pressure on the interim government and allied armed factions to halt attacks in northern and northeastern Syria, end siege and starvation policies, and stop the targeting of civilians, places of worship, and public and private property.

The statement also demanded an immediate end to all forms of detention, abduction, and enforced disappearance, the disclosure of the fate of missing and abducted persons—especially women and children—and their unconditional release, along with fair and prompt compensation for victims.

The organizations further called for the safe and dignified return of displaced people to their homes, the removal of obstacles to return, protection of roads and property, and the clearance of landmines to enable economic and social recovery. They emphasized the importance of upholding citizenship, human rights, peace, coexistence, and respect for ethnic and religious diversity.

The appeal concluded by stressing the need for transitional justice, accountability for all perpetrators without impunity, respect for Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, an end to foreign interference, and a democratic and just solution to the Kurdish issue in Syria in line with international human rights standards.