According to Syrians for Truth and Justice-STJ reporter, the security authorities of Autonomous Administration of the Asayesh Forces “Internal Security”, denied members and leaders of Kurdish National Council-KNC of holding their fourth General Conference scheduled in Qamishli, on Tuesday, November 7, 2017. The Asayesh Forces circled the conference place and prevented KNC members from entering the conference room, arguing that KNC along with its parties and organizations are not licensed by Autonomous-Administration bodies.
“Arya Juma”, a President of Kurdish Women Union-KWU, Syria, underscored to STJ that Asayesh Forces surrounded the conference venue held in the hall of a building in al-Kornish Street in Qamishli, and in this regard she said:
“The Council conference was scheduled to be held on Tuesday morning, where KNC members attended from all Kurdish regions, but unfortunately as we were about to commence the conference events, the Asayesh Forces came and prevented the members of the conference from entering the hall. Moreover, they surrounded the place and asked to stop the conference, we tried to convince them that it is a political and national conference which does not offend anyone, but they argued that we were not licensed by Autonomous Administration.”
Parallel to holding the conference, On the other side, a number of supporters of the Democratic Union Party-PYD or what is called as Patriotic Revolutionary Youth Movement gathered and began to launch slogans and chants against the leadership of KNC, accusing them of being and traitors infiltrators of Turkey. In this regard, Hassan Saleh, the Deputy Secretary of Kurdish Democratic Political Union-Yekiti, told Syrians for Truth and Justice-STJ:
“As a result of cordoning and storming the conference venue by Asayesh Forces and forcibly removal of members of KNC, its leaderships decided to leave the hall without confrontation, preventing more problems, so we assumed that the conference had been held, and we decided to hold a meeting in following days to discuss those issues. Anyway, even the Syrian regime had not made such acts; like getting the attendees out of the halls; this had never happened in the history of Syria; these practices are against democracy and human rights.
According to STJ reporter, after the removal of KNC members from the conference room, they headed to the headquarters of the United Nations Organization for Children (UNICEF) located in as-Siyahee Street in the city of Qamishli to sit-in and condemn the practices of Autonomous Administration Asayesh Forces. However, a group of Patriotic Revolutionary Youth Movement assaulted the protesters with stones and sticks, which led the Police Forces of Asayesh Forces intervened to prevent them from reaching the protestors, the matter that led to break the sit-in.
Image shows a sit-in of several members of KNC in front of the headquarters of UNICEF in Qamishli on Tuesday, November 7, 2017, in protest against prevention of holding the Fourth General Conference of KNC by pro-Autonomous Administration Asayesh Forces.
Photo credit: STJ
On the evening of the same day, the General Secretariat of KNC issued a statement that referred to the Asayesh Forces storming of KNC conference, and stated:
“Targeting KNC and its conference underscores its significant role and the hopes the Kurdish people hang on it to achieve its national aspirations, besides it assures the extent to which (PYD) have reached in disrespecting the democratic values and human rights principles.”
KNC condemned in its statement this act and appealed what it called forces of good and democracy, human rights organizations, Kurdistan forces and parties and the concerned states with the Syrian issues and the tragedy of its peoples, to pressure to end these unacceptable and condemnable acts, according to the Council’s statement.
On the same day, Internal Affairs Entity of Autonomous Administration published a press release as well, concerning the prevention of its Asayesh Forces the members of KNC to hold the conference, and stressed that all actions taken by Asayesh Forces came in its legal context and within the established assets and rules of Jazira Canton, the statement said:
“Given the critical period which Rojava and northern Syrian are currently passing through, concerning the security and stability situation, we find some irresponsible and provocative convergence by some unlicensed parties of Kurdish National Council KNC, the so-called ENKS, about its holding a meeting in Qamishli this day, which breaks the laws of Autonomous Administration.”
It is worth mentioning that KNC was supposed to discuss at its conference, which was prevented, the Council’s bodies, organizing structures, its presidency, and attitudes towards the developments in the region, domestically and regionally, towards the Kurdish issue in Syria and the region. However, holding the conference had been delayed for more than a year, as it was supposed to be held each year. According to the council’s leaders, the delay was owing to inability of the Council representatives in the cities of Kobane/Ayn al-Arab and Afrin to attend, as well as the closure of the offices of the Council parties by Autonomous Administration and detention of its members since March 2017.
STJ had earlier published a report highlighting the campaign carried out by Asayesh Forces a number of KNC leaders and members, against the backdrop of the preparations the celebrations in support of Iraq Kurdistan Independence Referendum, which was held on September 25, 2017.