A Flash Report about Arrests by pro-Autonomous Administration Forces during April 2017

Preface: Security apparatus headed by Asayish forces, local police, affiliated to the Autonomous Administration started arbitrary arrests of members and leaders of other Kurdish parties, particularly those allied to the Kurdish National Council-KNC, which is part of the National Coalition of Syrian Revolution and the opposition forces. Despite the troubles concerning the  Autonomous laws, which will be detailed in fore coming reports, many arrests by the pro-Autonomous Administration security apparatus do not consider these accepted laws at all. For example, on August 15, 2016 Asayish forces arrested many Kurdish Politicians and activists when they were mourning a fighter identified as Habib Qadri, who fought with Peshmerga Roj[1] forces,  that fight by the side of Kurdish Peshmerga in Kurdistan Regional Government. The mourners were accused of demonstrating without permission in spite of it was a funeral, not a demonstration.

One of the detainees identified as Alan Ahmed, from Qamishli, also known as Qamișlo, the reporter of the Yekiti Media, loyal to the Kurdish Yekiti Party led by Ibrahim Bro, is still in detention until writing this report on May 15, 2017. In addition to other members who were released in different times.  Some of them are Mohamed Ismail and Nashat Zaza, both are members of the Political Office in the Kurdistan Democratic Union Party (PDK) in Syria, as well as Nafi’e Abdullah and Abdulkarim Haji, both are members in the Central Committee in the same party. In addition to other leaders from different parties like Hasan Saleh, Abdullah Gado, Maher Arabo and Mezgin Ramadan.

Arrests And ill- treatment of many detainees during April 2017

The "Charter of Social Contract" is considered a constitution for the Autonomous Administration enclave; it is the document issued by the Legislative Council in the Autonomous Administration in Jazira Canton in January 2014. The Article (25) B- stipulates that “Human dignity shall not be tortured mentally or physically and that who does that will be punished himself”, but what happened to many detainees was contrary to the article.  

The Asayish forces[2] arrested a Member of the Kurdistan Democratic Party, whose identity is withheld for security purposes, in mid-April in front of his house in Qamishli.  They accused him of contravening the resolution issued by the Prosecution and Inquiry Committee, which stipulated that all parties distributed in the Autonomous Administration enclave must review the Committee of Party Affairs in order to get a registration for a political party in Jazira canton.

Syrians for Truth and Justice, STJ, met the detainee at his home in Qamishli after his release, he said in his testimony:

“A pro-Asayish patrol of two Toyota vehicles four-wheel drives (4X4) including eight elements entered my house and asked me to accompany them to the Asayesh Center in al-Antariyah neighborhood, where I stayed for four hours, then they drove me to another center in the eastern Qamishli region of Um al-Forsan; there I stayed in a solitary confinement for two days.”  

He added:

“The investigator in Um al-Forsan center initiated the interrogation with a barrage of insults and accusations. After that, another patrol transferred me to the Organized Crime Office, which is a pro-Asayish department assigned to community crimes, drugs and hashish, I stayed there for four hours then they transferred me to Allya Prison where I stayed for five days with criminals, drug users, and arms dealers. I suffered a lot in this prison as I was denied my basic personal rights even as a detainee.”

Being asked about the direct reasons of his arrest, the eyewitness told STJ that he was charged for breaking the locks of one of the offices of the Kurdish National Council and opening the office without registration. That is what he denied altogether,

STJ documented numbers of the arrests that were released during April 2017, by the security apparatus of the Autonomous Administration: 

1. On Saturday, April 2017, a military patrol affiliated to the Asayish forces stormed Rasheed Mohammed’s house located in ad-Darbasiyah and arrested him for being a member of the Kurdish Future Movement.  He is also a member of a local council of the Kurdish National Council in Syria. However, they released him on April 4, 2017. 
2. On Monday, April 10, 2017, a military patrol affiliated to the Asayish forces arrested Farhad Mohammed Osman in ad-Darbasiyah for being a member of the Kurdish Future Movement. Farhad is also a member of a local council in the Kurdish National Council in Syria. However, they released him on April 11, 2017.  
3. On Monday, April 10, 2017, a military patrol affiliated to the Asayish forces stormed Nawaf Hasan Abdul-Aziz’s house in “Ger Ziarat Abasa” village, located in the countryside of al-Maabadah, and arrested him for being a member of the Kurdish National Council, but released him later.
4. On Tuesday, April 18, 2017, two patrols affiliated to the Asayish forces stormed Azad Abdurrahman’s house located in Maysaloun neighborhood in Qamishli and arrested him for breaching the party registration law. Azad is a member of the Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PDK). However, they released him later.    
5. On Monday, April 3, 2017, the Asayish forces released Tarrad Oso, a member of the PDK, from the countryside of ad-Darbasiyah; he was detained since March 30, 2017.   
6. On Monday, April 10, 2017, the Asayish forces released Saeed Ahmad Ali, from Derik region, also known as al-Malikiayah. They have incarcerated him since March 18, 2017. It is noteworthy that Saeed is not a member of any political party.
7. On Tuesday, April 11, 2017, the Asayish forces released Mezgin Shawqi, a member of the Yekiti Party in Qamishli, from Tal Tamer. He was detained since March 3, 2017. 
8. On April 11, 2017, the Asayish forces released Jamil Kikiyah, a member of the PDK in Syria, from Tal Tamer city; they have incarcerated him since March 3, 2017.
9. On April 16, 2017, the Asayish forces released Amin Omar, a member of the PDK; they have incarcerated him since March 23, 2017.
10. On April 25, 2017, the Asayish forces released Bekas Mohammed Amin, a member of the PDK, from al-Maabadah. They have incarcerated him since March 19, 2017.
11. On April 28, 2017, the Asayish forces released Masoud Rammo, a member of the PDK in Syria, from al-Maabadah. They have detained him since March 3, 2017, without any conspicuous reasons. 
12. On April 28, 2017, the Asayish forces released Delgash Hezni, a member of the PDK in Syria, from al-Maabadah. They have detained him without giving any conspicuous reasons.