57 Syrian Organizations Urge Safe Return of the Displaced from Ras al-Ain/Serê Kaniyê and Tall Abyad/Girê Spî and Restitution of Their Property

Despite the major transformations Syria has undergone—including the fall of the Assad regime on 8 December 2024, the formation of the Transitional Government, and the return of nearly two million Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) to their homes and communities—tens of thousands of those forcibly displaced from Ras al-Ain/Serê Kaniyê, Tell Abyad/Girê Spî, and Afrin remain deprived of their right to return or to reclaim their property.

On 9 October 2019, Turkey, with the support of Turkish-backed factions of the Syrian National Army (SNA), launched the military “Peace Spring” Operation on areas of Ras al-Ain/Serê Kaniyê and Tell Abyad/Girê Spî, resulting in the occupation of the two regions and the displacement of more than 200,000 residents.

Over the past six years, systematic and widespread violations of International Human Rights Law (IHRL) and International Humanitarian Law (IHL), perpetrated by Turkish forces and Turkish-backed factions, have been documented. These violations include extrajudicial killings, field executions, arbitrary arrests, torture, and other forms of ill-treatment, as well as large-scale seizures of property belonging to indigenous inhabitants—including Kurds, Arabs, Armenians, Syriacs/Assyrians, Yazidis, Chechens, and others.

Tens of thousands of indigenous residents remain forcibly displaced, living in extremely difficult humanitarian conditions in camps and collective shelters that lack recognition and support from the United Nations.

Independent Syrian civil society organizations estimate that over 85% of Ras al-Ain/Serê Kaniyê’s population remains displaced; The Kurdish population has plummeted from around 75,000 to fewer than 50, while Armenians, Syriacs/Assyrians, and Yazidis are reduced to only a handful. In Tell Abyad/Girê Spî, only a few Kurdish families remain.

The humanitarian situation has further deteriorated due to the politicization of water resources. Since Turkey’s occupation of the area, water from Alouk Water Station, east of Ras al-Ain/Serê Kaniyê, has been deliberately and repeatedly cut off, depriving approximately 800,000 residents of al-Hasakah City and its surrounding countryside of safe drinking water and sanitation services—an egregious violation of their right to water.

Upon signing the 10 March Agreement between the Syrian Transitional Government and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), Clause V enshrined a moral and political commitment to the return of all displaced persons to their homes and their protection by the Syrian state. Yet, seven months later, the absence of tangible progress regarding the displaced from Ras al-Ain/Serê Kaniyê and Tell Abyad/Girê Spî underscores the urgent need to prioritize a safe, dignified, and equitable return—irrespective of political bargaining or temporary security arrangements.

Accordingly, the undersigned Syrian organizations reaffirm their full solidarity with the displaced from Ras al-Ain/Serê Kaniyê and Tell Abyad/Girê Spî, as well as with all victims and displaced persons across Syria, and call upon the international community, the Syrian Transitional Government, the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES), the Turkish Government, and all relevant parties to:

1. Ensure the immediate, safe, and dignified return of all displaced persons from Ras al-Ain/Serê Kaniyê and Tell Abyad/Girê Spî, while removing all obstacles to return and restoring essential services.
2. Restore rights to their rightful owners; enable the restitution of seized properties; and establish effective mechanisms for compensation and for both individual and collective reparation.
3. Integrate the violations committed in the area into transitional justice programs in a manner that guarantees accountability, redress, compensation, and guarantees non-recurrence.
4. Link any political negotiation process to guarantees for the return of the displaced, and empower the area’s residents to manage their local affairs through inclusive, elected local structures that foster confidence and uphold the rule of law.
5. Depoliticize water and natural resources; ensure the regular operation of Alouk Water Station; and refrain from using water as a tool of pressure on communities.
6. Incorporate Ras al-Ain/Serê Kaniyê and Tell Abyad/Girê Spî into reconstruction programs on a non-discriminatory basis, ensuring equal access to services and public investment that supports sustainable return.

The Signatory Organizations:

1. ACCESS
2. Act for Afrin
3. Afrin Platform
4. Afrin Social Association
5. Ambassadors Association for Persons with Disabilities
6. Analysis and Strategic Studies Organization (ASSO)
7. Aras Association
8. Areej Organization
9. Artist Organization for Culture and Development
10. ASHNA for Development
11. Ashti Center
12. ASHTI Foundation
13. Committee of Displaced Persons from Serê Kaniyê/Ras al-Ain
14. Dar Association for Victims of Forced Displacement
15. Dar for Peace and Prosperity
16. Development Seeds Centre
17. Dijla Organization for Development and Environment
18. Ella for Development and Peace Building
19. Human Rights Organization Afrin- Syria
20. Humanitarian Development Cooperation
21. Jian Humanitarian Organization
22. Jiyan Foundation for Human Rights
23. Kobani for Relief and Development
24. Lelun Association for Victims
25. Malva for Arts and Culture
26. Missing Persons’ Families Platform in North and East Syria (MPFP-NES)
27. Network of Statelessness Victims in al-Hasakah (NSVH)
28. Nûdem Médias et Developpement
29. Nujeen Association of Community Development
30. PEACE SHE LEADAR NETWORK
31. PÊL – Civil Waves
32. Peyam Organization
33. Ras al-Ain Platform
34. RDI Organization
35. RÊ for Rehabilitation and Development
36. Reng for Development
37. Rojava Association for Kurdish Culture and Literature
38. Roni Peywend
39. Rose for Support and Empowerment
40. Salam for Hope
41. SCSD
42. Shams Organization for Rehabilitation and Development”
43. SHAR for Development
44. Shawshka Women’s Association
45. Small Dreams Group
46. Synergy Association for Victims
47. Syriac cultural association in Syria
48. Syrians for Truth and Justice (STJ)
49. Taa Marbouta
50. Tara for Development
51. Together for a better society- TBS
52. We Care
53. White Hope Organization
54. Wheat & Olive Platform
55. Yekpar Society for Culture and Arts
56. Zagon Organization
57. Zagros Center for Human Rights