{"id":255,"date":"2017-09-23T11:54:03","date_gmt":"2017-09-23T11:54:03","guid":{"rendered":""},"modified":"-0001-11-30T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"-0001-11-29T21:00:00","slug":"255","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stj-sy.org\/en\/255\/","title":{"rendered":"Arrests by Autonomous Administration-Security forces Targeting Members of Kurdish National Council-KNC"},"content":{"rendered":"

Pro-Autonomous Administration security services in al-Hasakeh province, namely Asayesh Forces\/Internal Security\/ and the military intelligence affiliated to People's Protection Units YPG, arrested a large number of KNC loyalties and leaders against the background of preparations for celebrations to support Kurdistan independence referendum scheduled in 25 current September.<\/span><\/p>\n

At 4:00 pm on Friday, September 15, 2017, Local councils of KNC called their supporters to join supporting referendum celebrations that were later held in Tel Fendi<\/strong> in al-Hasakeh. Indeed, supporters of the council came from al-Hasakeh, Amuda, Ras Al Ayn\/Sari Kani and Tel Tamer. Another celebration was held at Jernik Stadium Square<\/strong> in Qamishli and its countryside. The third celebration held in Kafri Dna<\/strong> village of Alyan area and was attended by KNC supporters from Rmylan, Maabadah \/Girkê Legê, Derik\/al-Malikiayah, Turbe Sipi\/al-Qahtaniyah and Çil Axa\/al-Jawadiyah.<\/span><\/p>\n

Arrests of about 31 leaders and supporters of KNC were conducted on Thursday September 14, 2017, which means a day before the celebration on the pretext that they were members of the organizing committee of the ceremony as Nitham al-Deen Aliko, a member of Yekiti\/ Kurdish party in Syria, stated. At 2:00 am, some masked and unmasked men in civilian clothes arrested Nitham al-Deen, 33, when they stormed his house in al-Darbasiyah town and took him to an anonymous place that he believes to be a prison inside al-Darbasiyah. He added:<\/span><\/p>\n

“I think they were the intelligence unit affiliated to YPG. They did not let me put on my shoes and took me in my nightgown while blindfolded to an anonymous destination. About half an hour later, they investigated me on the pretext that I was a member of the celebration organizing committee depending on the report presented to them. I answered that we do not have an organized committee for the celebration and that the tasks are  distributed to all committees and council offices in various regions. However, they asked me to name the organizing committee members.” <\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

In turn, Abdullah Kedo, a member of the Central Committee Yekiti party in Syria, Qamishli, told Syrians for Truth and Justice\/STJ that militants of Democratic Union Party PYD arrested a number of KNC loyalties and took them to unknown destinations to prevent their arrival at the festival places held for Kurdistan referendum. He added:<\/span><\/p>\n

“They not only arrested people, but also installed checkpoints between the cities and even within the city's neighborhoods and streets to prevent our supporters from reaching and joining the celebration. The main reason for these procedures is hindering the Kurdish national project, presented in the celebration of the referendum, and to prove to their loyalties that the project advocated by the KNC is not a public one.”<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Elements of the Asayesh forces\/Internal Security forces\/ surrounded the festival site I Qamishli and blocked all roads and pathways to it under the pretext of protecting it. Kedo described this action as following:<\/span><\/p>\n

“Those who arrest our strivers do not protect us, they just protect themselves from extending beliefs of owners of the Kurdish national project against the poly project in the name of the Friendship and Brotherhood Project and so on, which the Kurdish people do not believe in”, referring to the Democratic Nation project advocated by the Democratic Community Movement\/TEVDEM and PYD.<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

A large gathering of KNC supporters attended the celebration in Qamishli, raised the flag of Kurdistan Region- Iraq, as well as photos and slogans glorifying the President Massoud Barzani and his father Mullah Mustafa Barzani.<\/span><\/p>\n

During his speech in the celebration, Abdel Samad Khalaf Bro, a member of the political  committee of Yekiti Party in Syria, described the Asayesh forces practices as cowardly and unjust and that they served Kurds enemies as well. Bro added:<\/span><\/p>\n

Parallel to regional, Iraqi and the Arab League threats, militias of PYD in Ras al-Ayn, Amuda, Darbasiyah and Tel Tamer stormed houses of KNC supporters and leaders and abducted them to unknown destinations. Moreover, they arrested everyone worked for preparing the celebrations, aiming to weaken the participation in celebrations and forgetting that Kurds who faced the Arab League, Iraqi parliament and regional threats can also challenge these cowardly and unjust procedures that serve the interests of Kurds enemies.”<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

In turn the KNC of Syria, also a member of the Syrian Opposition Coalition, condemned  in a statement the arrest of its members and supporters and described it as an escalating, systematic and hysterical step, aimed to intimidate the Kurds and prevent them from participating in the celebrations. In addition, the statement condemned the terrorist practice and gangs approach of the PYD militias against the Kurds.<\/span><\/p>\n

The majority of arrests against activists were in Tel Tamer, Ras al-Ayn, Amuda, al-Darbasiyah, and Abu Rasin affiliated to the city of Ras al-Ayn. Kurdish Yekiti party in Syria had the largest share in terms of arresting its members.<\/strong><\/span><\/span>
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