Human Rights Organisations in north and northeastern Syria have issued a call to the international human rights and other humanitarian organisations to play their moral and legal role towards the infringements of human rights in areas occupied by Turkey.

The call by the Human Rights Organisations of Afrin, in Jazeera and in the Euphrates Region includes the following:

“Following a declaration by the World Health Organisation (WHO) that Coronavirus has become a global pandemic disease threatening human race, many capitals and big cities around the world now look like ghost towns, owing to strict measures taken to contain the virus. WHO called on all governments around the world to spare no efforts while the virus is wreaking havoc.

Dr Tedros Adhanom, general director of WHO, demanded that all countries take stricter measures to fight the rampant virus, Covid-19. He said that the ideal method to save lives, by evading more infected cases, is to break off the chain of the virus's transmission through monitoring and social distancing.

In this context, G7 leaders asserted that Coronavirus poses a humanitarian disaster and a global health crisis of great magnitude, stressing that the challenges associated with the outbreak of the virus require new international approach based on science and evidence. They also vowed that G7 countries will put in great effort to contain the spread of virus and find a rapid appropriate therapy to cure this disease.

Coronavirus and human rights abuses

WHO has also declared a global medical emergency state to curb the outbreak of this killer disease, stressing that censorship, discrimination, arbitrary detention and human rights abuses are pointless in combating Coronavirus.

Human rights violations hamper the task to contain the virus by obstructing its effectiveness rather than facilitating a quick response. The rights of individuals have been guaranteed under the World Declaration of Human Rights of 1948 which provided the right of every individual to health care and the right to access information, prohibiting any discrimination in giving medical health care et al.

The UN has called for an urgent halt to all military actions and armed conflicts, around the world, in general, and in Syria, in particular, to confront the common enemy, Corona virus.

Nevertheless, the Turkish state along with its affiliated Syrian FSA armed rebels that control large swaths of Syrian territory in Afrin, Idlıb Azaz, Jarablus, al-Bab and eastern Euphrates continue conducting indiscriminate bombing and shelling against areas in Shahba, Sherawa, Ain Issa and Til Temir. By doing so they disparage all relevant international decisions and calls. Moreover, abduction of civilian Kurds for ransom by Turkey-backed groups in the Kurdish enclave of Afrin is on the increase day by day.

It is noteworthy that more than 3,400 abducted Kurds from both sexes are still unaccounted for. The same applies on the fate of hundreds of abducted Kurds in areas in Serekaniye (Ras al-Ain) and Gire Spi (Tal Abyad) who desperately need medical quarantine and social distancing.

Despite all warnings by the international community to take all necessary precautionary measures, especially in crammed detention centres, it seems that the Turkish state never even cares about the safety of millions of people in the overcrowded occupied areas.

Although Turkey has reported at least 10.000 active cases of Turkish citizens infected with Corona virus and more than 200 deaths, the border crossings between Turkey and the occupied Syrian areas are still wide open for transportation. Besides, many cases of patients infected with Coronavirus within the occupied northwest of Syria (Azaz Hospital) have been reported in the local media outlets.

Turkey cuts off water supplies

In the northeast of Syria Turkish forces cut off water supplies from Allok Station, leaving hundreds of thousands of people without drinking water in Al Hasakah province. The UNICEF has sounded alarm, warning that cutting off water supplies would surely exacerbate the suffering of civilians there, making them even more vulnerable to a disease that can spread as quickly as COVID-19.

A call to redress the grievances of abused Kurds

The human rights organisations active in north and northeastern Syria made the following call to the international human rights and other humanitarian organisations to play their moral and legal role towards the infringements of human rights on areas occupied by Turkey:

“Turkey should be pressured to disclose the fate of those individuals locked up in secret prisons and detention centres run by Turkish MIT and their Syrian SNA armed factions. The abductees and detainees should be released and be given medical and health care, which should also encompass all civilian residents living in those areas. A cease fire and suspension of hostilities against areas overcrowded with Afrin IDP's should also be enforced. Since it is a war crime to use water as a weapon of mass destruction, Turkey should be deterred to severe Allok water supplies which must be resumed to al-Hasakah province. The humanitarian efforts to scale up preparedness and response to COVID-19 must cover all Syrian regions without bias and double standards.
We also call on WHO, the International Red Cross and Syrian Health Ministry to provide all help needed to Afrin IDP's, as well as IDP's from Ras al Ein and Tal Abyad, especially those living in squalid refugee camps that lack basic sanitation services before it is too late.

Ultimately, as the humanity is undergoing this catastrophic tribulation, urgent efforts need to be done here to prevent the situation going from bad to worst.”