In a press conference statement with the slogan "Safe return is our legitimate right", the Northern and Eastern Syria Serêkaniyê Migrants Committee and the Association for Solidarity with Victims (Tazour) announced the three-year balance sheet of the Turkish occupation of Girê Spî and Serêkaniyê.

The Migrants Committee Press Officer Ciwan Iso read the statement at Washukani Camp.

Killings, abduction, torture

The statement said: "Since the two regions were occupied by Turkey and its mercenaries in October 2019, 511 people have been arrested, including 68 women and 42 children. 185 people have been kidnapped. 325 people have been tortured. At least 5 people have been killed under torture. 48 were only 13 years of age. 92 detainees, including those sentenced to life imprisonment, were transferred to Turkey. 56 people, including 11 women, were killed. 11 people were executed.

Occupation, exploitation, plunder

The statement said that more than 85 percent of Serêkaniyê residents could not return to their homes, and added that “2,500 migrant families were resettled in place of the original residents. 55 Iraqi ISIS families were resettled in the confiscated houses in Serêkaniyê. After the occupation, more than 5,500 houses and more than 1,200 shops were confiscated in the two occupied regions. 55 villages were evacuated from their original inhabitants. They confiscated more than one million acres (100 thousand hectares) of land.

145 civilians lost their lives

The statement continued: “There is no security in the region, at least 72 explosions occurred, 145 civilians, including women and children, lost their lives. More than 300 people were injured. In addition, groups belonging to the so-called Syrian National Army provoked clashes 46 times. As a result, at least 3 citizens lost their lives and more than 25 were injured.”