KURDWATCH NEWSLETTER WEST KURDISTAN II / JUNE 2013
Ar‑Raqqa: Member of the Advancement Party killed in air attack
KURDWATCH, June 17, 2013—On June 12, 2013, ʿAdnan Shaykh Muhammad (b. 1977 in ʿAyn al‑ʿArab [Kobanî], married, five children), member of the provincial committee of the Kurdish Democratic Progressive Party in Syria and the Kurdish Front battalion of the Free Syrian Army (FSA), was killed in a Syrian Air Force attack on the city of ar‑Raqqa. The Advancement Party organized a funeral march for Muhammad’s burial in ʿAyn al‑ʿArab on June 13.
Raʾs al‑ʿAyn/al‑Malikiyah: Democratic Yekîtî and el‑Partî organize protests
KURDWATCH, June 14, 2013—Ongoing fighting between the Free Syrian Army (FSA) and government troops in the week from June 1 to June 7, 2013 resulted again in numerous dead and injured. On June 7, demonstrators throughout the country once again demanded the fall of the regime. They gathered under the common slogan »Qusair and Ghuta, unbreakable will«. Supporters of the Democratic Union Party (PYD) organized only one demonstration in al-Hasakah; they protested against FSA attacks on YPG‑positions in ʿAfrin.
In al‑Qamishli, one demonstration took place in the districts of al‑ʿAntariyah (organized by various youth groups) and Munir Habib (organized by the Kurdish National Council). In ʿAmudah, there was only one demonstration organized by various youth groups, including Avahî. In Raʾs al‑ʿAyn (Serê Kaniyê) the Kurdish Democratic Union Party in Syria (Democratic Yekîtî) organized a demonstration on Tuesday; they demanded an end to the fighting in ʿAfrin. The Kurdish National Council organized one demonstration each in ʿAyn al‑ʿArab (Kobanî) and ad‑Darbasiyah. The Kurdish National Council’s weekly demonstration in al‑Malikiyah took place on Saturday. On Tuesday June 4, ʿAbdulhakim Bashar’s Kurdish Democratic Party in Syria (el‑Partî) organized a protest in al‑Malikiyah. Among other things, the demonstrators demanded the release of all political prisoners from the custody of the regime and the PYD. There were no protests in al‑Maʿbada (Girkê Legê), al‑Jawadiyah (Çil Axa), al‑Qahtaniyah (Tirbesipî) or ʿAfrin nor in the mainly Kurdish districts of Aleppo and Damascus.
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Damascus: Activist released after nearly two years in prison
KURDWATCH, June 14, 2013—On May 29, 2013, Shapal Muhammad Amin Ibrahim (b. 1978 in al‑Qamishli, married, three children) was released from prison. He was arrested on September 22, 2011 and charged with participating in a demonstration pursuant to Articles 335 and 336 of the criminal code [further information on the case]. In a statement to KurdWatch Ibrahim said: »During my entire prison term, I wasn’t allowed to see acquaintances or friends or an attorney. My brother was first allowed to visit me about a month ago. In the first five months, I was brutally tortured. I still have health problems«.
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Al-Hasakah: YPG releases leader of the Kurdish Intervention Forces
KURDWATCH, June 13, 2013—On May 29, 2013, Masʿud Hasan, a member of Lazgin Mahmud Fakhri‘s Kurdish Democratic Party—Syria and leader of the Kurdish Intervention Forces, was released by the Asayiş (security service) of the Democratic Union Party (PYD). He was arrested on March 15 by members of the PYD’s People’s Defense Units [further information on the case]. A member of the Intervention Forces told KurdWatch »Hasan was only released after he signed an agreement declaring the dissolution of the Intervention Forces. However, the YPG published a declaration according to which the Intervention Forces will dissolve and its members will join the YPG. That is not true. We will do everything to defend the Kurdish people.«
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Al-Qamishli: YPG releases members of an armed Yekîtî‑unit
KURDWATCH, June13, 2013—On April 29, 2013, the Asayiş [security service] of the Democratic Union Party (PYD) released Walat Murad Haso, Mizgin Muhammad Ramadan, Aras Muhammad Salih, Ciwan Sulaiman Yasin, and Idris Sulaiman. The members of the Shaykh‑Maʿshuq-Khaznawi‑battalion of the Kurdish Union Party in Syria (Yekîtî) were kidnapped on April 17 along with an additional fighter of the battalion by the PYD’s People’s Defense Units (YPG) [further information on the case]. Walat Murad Haso, leader of the battalion, stated to KurdWatch: »I was not tortured, but threatened and held in solitary confinement for several days. During the interrogations, I was accused of being a member of an illegal organization.« The YPG claimed to have interrogated him in the name of the Supreme Kurdish Committee. Allegedly, he and other fighters were in fact released due to the initiative of members of the Supreme Kurdish Committee’s expert committee on the military. This expert committee was ascribed to the Shaykh‑Maʿshuq-Khaznawi‑battalion. According to Haso, his battalion has around four hundred members.
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Damascus: The Political Security Directorate arrests leading member of the Kurdish National Council
KURDWATCH, June 10, 2013—On June 6, 2013, employees of the Political Security Directorate arrested Ahmad ʿAbdulqadir Simo (b. in Tall Tamr, married, two children, known under the name Khabat Simo) in the mainly Kurdish district of Ruknuddin in Damascus. Simo is a member of the general secretariat of the Kurdish National Council and is an active member of the local committee in Ruknuddin.
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Al-Qamishli: PYD organizes protests against FSA
KURDWATCH, June 10, 2013—Ongoing fighting between the Free Syrian Army (FSA) and government troops in the week from May 25 to May 31, 2013 resulted again in numerous dead and injured. On May 31, demonstrators throughout the country once again demanded the fall of the regime. They gathered under the common motto »The principles of the revolution are taboo«. After a short break, supporters of the Democratic Union Party (PYD) yet again organized several demonstrations; they protested against FSA attacks on YPG‑positions in ʿAfrin [further information]. In al‑Qamishli, one demonstration took place in each of the districts of al‑ʿAntariyah (organized by various youth groups), Munir Habib (organized by the Kurdish National Council), as well as at the Qasimo mosque in the western district (organized by the PYD). In ʿAmudah there were two separate demonstrations, organized by the PYD and by various youth groups, including Avahî. There were also two demonstrations in al‑Hasakah, one organized by the Kurdish National Council, the other by Arab groups. Two demonstrations, organized by the PYD and the Kurdish National Council, took place in both ʿAyn al‑ʿArab (Kobanî) and al‑Maʿbada (Girkê Legê). The Kurdish National Council organized one demonstration in each of the cities of ad‑Darbasiyah, al‑Jawadiyah (Çil Axa), and al‑Qahtaniyah (Tirbesipî). The Kurdish National Council’s weekly demonstrations in al‑Malikiyah and al‑Maʿbada (Girkê Legê) took place on Saturday. In addition, the PYD organized a demonstration in al‑Qahtaniyah (Tirbesipî) on Saturday as well as protests in ad‑Darbasiyah on Monday. There were no protests in ʿAfrin or Raʾs al‑ʿAyn (Serê Kaniyê), nor in the mainly Kurdish districts of Aleppo and Damascus.
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ʿAfrin: Fighting between YPG and FSA
KURWATCH, June 10, 2013—On May 23, 2013, fighting broke out near the Shiite villages of Nubal and Zahra (twenty kilometers south of ʿAfrin) between the Democratic Union Party’s (PYD) People’s Defense Units (YPG) and the Free Syrian Army (FSA). Several Kurdish battalions were involved in the fighting on the side of the FSA. For more than a year, Nubal and Zahra have been under an FSA embargo. The FSA accuses the YPG of supplying provisions to the Syrian units and Hizbullah fighters stationed in the villages. According to a KurdWatch informant, the FSA demanded the suspension of this support. After negotiations failed, the YPG allegedly opened fire. An FSA offensive against YPG positions in several Kurdish villages followed on May 24 and 25. Fighting also occurred to the north and east of ʿAfrin on May 31 and June 2, 3, and 6. Several dozen combatants on both sides were killed in the fighting, including the female YPG‑fighter Salah Muhammad (b. 1991 in Raju, known under the name Sulav). Currently the FSA controls all access roads to ʿAfrin.
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Rumailan: PKK and Syrian regime cooperate in Rumailan
KURDWATCH, June 8, 2013—A letter from the Syrian Minister for Crude Oil and Natural Resources to the Prime Minister gives an account of a meeting on September 17, 2012 between representatives of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), the director of the state crude oil company, Syrian Petroleum Company (SPC), and the head of the Political Security Directorate of al‑Hasakah. The letter was published on the internet and ascertained by KurdWatch to be authentic. In the letter, the PKK demanded to receive the transfer of protection of the oil fields in the Kurdish region. The Minister recommends fulfilling these demands, since problems in the Kurdish region could be avoided and work could move forward. Moreover, the PKK threatened to attack the oil fields in the Kurdish regions should it be denied control. The People’s Defense Units (YPG) of the PKK-affiliated Democratic Union Party (PYD) protect Rumailan against attacks by the Free Syrian Army and thus allow the Syrian government continued access to the country’s largest oil reserves, which are deposited there. This access is strategically important, as Syria is under an international embargo and cannot import any oil. According to a former employee of the administration in Rumailan, the PYD is paid by the government for the aforementioned protective services.
Al-Qamishli: Asayiş interrogates activists
KURDWATCH, June 6, 2013—On June 1, 2013, the Democratic Union Party’s (PYD) Asayiş (security service) held and interrogated activists from the youth center Zelal and the women’s group Ronî in al‑Qamishli for several hours. The interrogation occurred after the activists had visited Arab refugees and distributed toys to their children. An employee of the Asayiş berated and insulted the young people calling them »filth« and accused them of being financed by the Syrian National Council in Istanbul. Moreover, she demanded that the center be officially registered with the Asayiş before any further activities are undertaken.