YPG spokesperson Nuri Mehmud denied the invading Turkish state's claims regarding a mass grave in Afrin and stated that the destroyed place was actually a martyr cemetery.

“This cemetery was built when the invading Turkish state approached Afrin during the attacks. In the cemetery, there are the bodies of 71 people who fell as martyrs as a result of the attacks of the Turkish state. Of the people buried there, 14 are YPG fighters, 12 are YPJ fighters, 5 are members of public order forces, 3 are Cebhet El-Ekrad, 1 are members of the Self-Defense Union, and 5 are civilians. The other 31 bodies are those of civilians and fighters whose identities we could not identify."

Mehmud added that the Turkish state and the mercenaries from ISIS and Al-Nusra are making provocations on Syrian territory and committing crimes against humanity.

Noting that the claims of the Turkish state and media are untrue, Mehmud said that 'mass graves' are actually something the Turkish state and its partners such as Al-Nusra and ISIS are used to.

Emphasizing that the mercenaries in Afrin are currently committing crimes by violating all moral and humanitarian laws, Mehmud said: “They do everything to achieve their own ends. They try all kinds of methods. Their main aim is to neutralize our democratic nation project, which is supported by the peoples.”

Noting that the Turkish state wants to defame the revolution by presenting the martyrs’ cemetery as a 'mass grave', Mehmud said: "This is a cemetery for our martyrs who gave their life for Afrin. The people of Afrin buried the martyrs in accordance with their own customs and traditions."

Pointing out that the international community should see the crimes against humanity committed by the Turkish state in Afrin, Mehmud said: “The whole world and our people should know that the Turkish state and its mercenaries commit crimes in the lands they occupy, ignoring any values and laws. All these crimes are committed by Erdogan's decision. The Turkish state and its mercenaries also destroyed the Martyr Refiq Cemetery in the village of Metine in Afrin and the Martyr Seydo Cemetery in the village of Qazqili in Jindirês.”

The occupation forces in Afrin in northern Syria snatched the remains of YPG and YPJ fighters and civilians killed in Turkish airstrikes from the earth of the Şehîd (Martyr) Avesta Cemetery and spread the lie that a mass grave with people "executed by the YPG/PKK" had been discovered. On July 14, the Erdoğan regime's Anadolu Agency (AA) spoke of 35 people who had been executed for refusing to join the YPG. The following day, there was talk of 61 corpses lying in a mass grave in a mess of body bags. On the other hand, it has been confirmed that the bodies belong to the YPG-YPJ fighters and civilians who were martyred during the invasion attack on Afrin on January 20, 2018.

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