Shahba - On the evening of March 20, people went out to celebrate Newroz in Afrin’s Jindires town. However, the members of Ahrar al-Sharqiya affiliated to the Turkish-backed Syrian National Army (SNA) opened fire on them, killing four civilians and injuring many people. After the attack, the people of Jindires took to the streets in order to condemn the attack and demand the punishment of the killers. The attack on the people celebrating Newroz in Jindires have been protested in many cities of North and East Syria.

‘March is an important month for the Kurdish people’

 In an interview with NuJINHA, Îlham Mihemed, member of the Democratic Union Party (Kurdish: Partiya Yekîtiya Demokrat-PYD), said that March is an important month for the Kurdish people. “There are many important days in March for the Kurdish people. For instance, the Halabja Massacre took place on March 16; the Qamishlo Massacre took place on March 12 and Afrin was occupied by the Turkish state in March. Newroz is one of the most important festivals for the Kurdish people being celebrated in March. For this reason, Newroz is not just a day for celebration for us, it is also a day of resistance. It is a day for the Kurdish people to demand freedom.” Adding that the people demanded the physical freedom of Kurdish people's leader Abdullah Öcalan during the 2023 Newroz celebrations, Îlham Mihemed said, “2023 Newroz was celebrated with enthusiasm all over the world.”

 Speaking about the killing of four people in Jindires, Îlham Mihemed said, “While the people of Jindires were lighting a Newroz fire, they were attacked by Turkish-backed factions. Four people were killed in the attack and it was a massacre. The people living in Afrin are subjected to attacks, arrests and massacres every day. Despite all the attacks, the people of Afrin have been resisting both inside and outside of Afrin for five years. This resistance is a sacred resistance for us, as the people of Afrin living in Shahba. Everyone should support this resistance. The people living under occupation now demand freedom. The voice rising from Jindires is a call for the freedom of the Kurdish people.”