Relatives of murdered victims in Jindires demand justice

Four people were killed in Afrin's Jindires town on the evening of March 20 while celebrating Newroz. Their relatives call on international human rights organizations to hold the criminals accountable.

Raperin Bekir

Shahba-People of Afrin and Shahba held a march in Afrin’s Jindires town to protest the killing of four people in the town on the evening of March 20 while celebrating Newroz. The relatives of the victims also participated in the march, calling on international human rights organizations to hold the criminals accountable.

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 Turkey-backed Syrian National Army (SNA) opened fire on them, killing four civilians.

Yesterday, the people of Afrin and Shahba held a march in Jindires to protest the killing of Ferhan Osman (43), İsmail Osman (38), Mihemed Osman (18) and Mihemed İsmail Osman (42).

 ‘We will stand firm’

Tolin Osman, sister of three victims, said, “The members of Ahrar al-Sharqiya attacked and killed four members of our family while they were celebrating Newroz in occupied Afrin. I lost three brothers and a nephew.”

“The Turkish state and its mercenaries turned the Newroz fire into a fire burning in our hearts,” Avin Gabu, niece of the victims, said, “We will avenge our martyrs. We will stand firm until we drive out the Turkish state and its mercenaries from our lands. This crime has shown the dimension of the Turkish state’s brutality against the people in Afrin.”

Call on international human rights organizations

“The people of Afrin have been subjected to inhuman practices of the Turkish state and Turkish-backed factions for five years,” Nazlı Alo, one of the relatives of the victims, said, “The Turkish state and Turkish-backed factions killed four people for lighting the Newroz fire. We will not bow down to these crimes committed by them in Afrin, we will be in solidarity with our people staying in Afrin until we liberate Afrin and return to our hometown.” Nazlı Alo called on the international human rights organizations to protect the people of Afrin against the inhuman practices of the Turkish state and Turkish-backed factions.

Olfat Hanan, a woman living in Jindires, called on the people of Afrin to resist. “The women living in Jindires should keep resisting against the Turkish occupation. The Kurdish people will never accept the inhuman practices against them, they will resist to the end.”