Dozens of young Kurdish men and women on Wednesday staged a sit-in in the town of Amuda in rural Alhasaka to protest against the Democratic Union Party’s (PYD) repressive policies in the province, especially storming villages, raiding houses and recruiting children.
The sit-in, which was called for by Amuda local council, was organized to protest against the raiding of houses in Amuda area by the Asayish militias, the security forces of the PYD. Residents of the area said that the Asayish forces on Monday raided civilian homes and confiscated personal firearms. They also arrested around 20 young men for military conscription. The Asayish forces also stormed villages around the town of Malikiya and arrested young people aged between 18 and 30 years old for military conscription.
Protesters denounced the PYD’s practices in Alhasaka province and held placards rejecting compulsory recruitment, child recruitment and other abuses by the PYD militias.
Younis Asaad, head of Amuda local council, which is affiliated with the Kurdish National Council, said that they gathered to protest against the PYD’s intimidating practices against the civilian population in the province.
The Kurdish National Council on Monday condemned the raids on houses and arrests of the Kurdish young men by the PYD militias. It stressed that the PYD militias bear full responsibility for these actions and their consequences, calling on the international community to shoulder its responsibilities towards protecting the Kurds from intimidating practices by the PYD. The Kurdish National Council also called on the Kurdish population in Syria to stand against these practices and expose them through peaceful means. (Source: Syrian Coalition + Smart News Agency)
