Afrin was occupied by Turkey four years ago. With the approval of NATO and Russia, an Islamist occupation regime has been established in what was once Syria's most peaceful region. The displaced population is fighting for their return.
Since March 18, 2018, the canton of Afrin in northern Syria has been under Turkish occupation. War crimes have been systematically committed since the invasion. A large part of the population displaced from Afrin has been living in precarious conditions in the neighboring Shehba region for four years. In Serdem, one of the reception camps set up on its own initiative, the Afrin Cantonal Council issued a statement expressing its determination to return to what was once Syria's most peaceful region:
"Four years have passed since the brutal occupation of Afrin and the Turkish state continues its massacres. Erdogan's Islamist gangs and the MIT are abducting people, confiscating their property and deliberately changing the demographic structure. They are destroying culture, history and nature and trampling on our values. These crimes are taking place in full view of the world public and human rights organizations. The whole world has seen how the people of Afrin withstood 58 days against the invasion carried out with the most modern weapons technology.
As the people of Afrin, we ask: Where are the human rights organizations? We gave our word to our martyrs and this promise still holds true today. Whatever the price, we will continue to fight until Afrin is once again a place where people can live freely and with dignity. We will not retreat one step. We urge the organizations that supposedly stand up for human rights and the United Nations to revise their treatment of people and to document the crimes in Afrin in order to finally bring Erdogan to justice."
