KURDWATCH NEWSLETTER – SEPTEMBER 2012 (I)

KURDWATCH, September 18, 2012—On September 13, 2012, using tear gas and billy clubs security forces attacked hundreds of customers waiting in front of the city bakery in the western district of al‑Qamishli. The crowd had been protested loudly against the current shortage of bread.

KURDWATCH, September 17, 2012—On September 11, 2012, Rezan Khalid Mustafa (b. 1985 in ʿAyn al‑ʿArab [Kobanî], married) was shot dead in the street in Aleppo. He was buried the same day near ʿAyn al‑ʿArab. The Kurdish Democratic Union Party in Syria (Democratic Yekîtî), of which Mustafa was a member, organized the funeral service. Representatives of the party blamed Syrian government sharpshooters for the murder.

KURDWATCH, September 14, 2012—On September 11, 2012, a Syrian Air Force plane bombed the village of Basuta, ten kilometers south of ʿAfrin. A bomb exploded near a restaurant at the edge of the village; there were no deaths or injuries.

KURDWATCH, September 13, 2012—Nationwide protests onSeptember 7, 2012, again resulted in numerous dead and injured. Throughout the country, demonstrators demanded the fall of the regime. In large parts of the country, protesters took to the streets under the slogan, »The besieged city of Homs calls out to you«. Supporters of the Democratic Union Party (PYD) demonstrated under their own slogan, »No to military service«. This week supporters of the Kurdish National Council and the PYD held no joint demonstrations. In al‑Qamishli, one demonstration took place in each of the districts of Qanat Suwais, al‑ʿAntariyah (organized by the Biratî, Rojava, Shaikh Maʿschuq, and Farhad Martyrs youth groups), Kurnish (organized by supporters of the Kurdish Future Movement under Rezan Bari Schaikhmus, the Sewa youth group, and other independent youth groups), and at the Qasimo mosque in the western district (organized by the PYD). Parallel demonstrations took place in the district of Munir Habib (organized by the Kurdish National Council and the Union of Kurdish Democratic Forces in Syria). In ʿAmudah, three separate demonstrations took place, organized by the PYD, the Kurdish National Council, and various youth groups. Numerous demonstrators wore black clothing and walked without banners in order to express their grief over the deaths of Syrian refugees who had drowned near the Turkish Mediterranean coast only a few days earlier. Two demonstrations, organized by the PYD and the Kurdish National Council respectively, took place in each of the cities of ad‑Darbasiyah, ʿAyn al‑ʿArab (Kobanî), al‑Maʿbada (Girkê Legê), and al‑Qahtaniyah (Tirbesipî). Due to the large number of security forces, no demonstrations could take place in al‑Hasakah. Large rallies took place in the majority Kurdish district of Shaikh Masqud in Aleppo, as well as in ʿAfrin and in many small Kurdish towns in the area. The rallies were awaiting the funeral march for the victims of the air attack on Shaikh Maqsud [further information on the case]. They called for the fall of the regime and retribution for the victims. Protests also took place in al‑Malikiyah (Dêrik), al‑Jawadiyah (Çil Axa), and Raʾs al‑ʿAyn (Serê Kaniyê), as well as in the majority Kurdish district of Ruknuddin in Damascus; however, few people there took to the streets.

KURDWATCH, September 13, 2012—On September 4, 2012, the deserter Shervan Khalil (b. in ʿAfrin) was killed in Sayda near Darʿa. A member of the Free Syrian Army reported that Khalil had tried to help recruits in his former unit desert from their posts. He was then killed by Syrian Army soldiers. A video released online shows Shervan Khalil with a shattered skull.

KURDWATCH, September 11, 2012—On September 6, 2012, for the first time since the fighting began in Aleppo, the Syrian Air Force attacked one of the majority Kurdish districts. During the attack on a market street in Shaikh Maqsud, twenty-one people, including nine children, were killed and dozens of people were injured, some severely. Several thousand people took part in the funeral march organized by the Democratic Union Party (PYD) on September 7, 2012. Those killed were buried near ʿAfrin.

KURDWATCH, September 11, 2012—On August 27, 2012, the Kurdish National Council’s local committee in ʿAmudah reported in a press release that it had suspended its membership in the committees formed jointly with the People’s Council of West Kurdistan. It attributed this step to violations by the People’s Council against the decisions of the joint caucus of the People’s Council and the Kurdish National Council. The People’s Council is accused of demanding bribes for the sale of fuel such as diesel, gasoline, and natural gas and of abusing its control of state infrastructure.

KURDWATCH, September 10, 2012—Nationwide protests on August 31, 2012 again resulted in numerous dead and injured. Throughout the country demonstrators demanded the fall of the regime. In large parts of the country, protestors took to the streets under the slogan, »Loyalty to the Levant’s Tripoli and the freemen of Lebanon«. Supporters of the Democratic Union Party (PYD) demonstrated under their own slogan, »Stop your massacres«. This Friday, scarcely a month after the PYD and the Kurdish National Council began organizing joint demonstrations in many cities, only one such demonstration took place in front of the Qasimo mosque in the western district of al‑Qamishli, and only a few supporters of the Kurdish National Council took part. Additionally, in al‑Qamishli, one demonstration took place in each of the districts of Qanat Suwais, al‑ʿAntariyah (organized by the Biratî, Rojava, Shaikh Maʿshuq and Farhad Martyrs youth groups), Kurnish (organized by supporters of the Kurdish Future Movement in Syria under Rezan Bari Shaikhmus, the Sewa youth group, and other independent youth groups), and Munir Habib (organized by the Union of Kurdish Democratic Forces in Syria). In Qudurbak, security forces prevented Arab youth groups from organizing a demonstration. In ʿAmudah, there were three separate demonstrations, organized by the PYD, the Kurdish National Council, and various youth groups. Two demonstrations, organized by the PYD and the Kurdish National Council respectively, took place in each of the cities of ad‑Darbasiyah, ʿAyn al‑ʿArab (Kobanî), and al‑Qahtaniyah (Tirbesipî). Four demonstrations took place in al‑Hasakah. In Maʿbatli and Burj ʿAbdalo near ʿAfrin, supporters of the Kurdish National Council and the Free Syrian Army organized joint demonstrations. Protests were also held in al‑Jawadiyah (Çil Axa) and Raʾs al‑ʿAyn (Serê Kaniyê), as well as in the majority Kurdish district of Ruknuddin in Damascus, although only a few people took to the streets there. According to activists, because of tensions with the PYD, there were no protests in al‑Malikiyah (Dêrik) and al‑Maʿbada (Girkê Legê). Due to ongoing fighting in neighboring districts, no protests were organized in Aleppo’s majority Kurdish districts.

KURDWATCH, September 8, 2012—On August 30, 2012, during the course of the hearing against Munzir Iskan Ahmad, Firas Jumʿa al Ahmad [further information on the case] and Jiwan Yusuf Yusuf [further information on the case], the Criminal Court in al‑Hasakah questioned Burhan ʿAli as a witness for the prosecution. ʿAli testified that he had not seen any of the defendants at the scene of the crime. Due to a lack of time the witnesses for the defense could not be heard. The next session is scheduled for September 18, 2012.