President of the Syrian Kurdish National Council Ibrahim Berro said that the Council rejects the so-called self-administration which was declared by the militia of the Democratic Union Party (PYD) in northern Syria, pointing out that this move has no legal basis and lacks any public support.
Berro stressed that the self-administration was declared unilaterally by the PYD and came after an agreement with the Assad regime. He noted that the PYD militia do not allow other Kurdish political parties, especially the Kurdish National Council, to assume any role in northeastern Syria.
“The policies of the PYD militias serve the interests of the Assad regime as the PYD cracks down on any force or entity that opposes the Assad regime, be it Arab or Kurdish. The PYD tolerates only those entities whose polices and orientation correspond to its policies and those of the Assad regime,” Berro said.
With regards to the Turkish-backed Operation Shield of the Euphrates, Berro said: “Turkey has sought to establish a safe area in northern Syria to ward off threats on its borders and secure a safe haven for displaced Syrians since the beginning of the Syrian revolution.” He pointed out that living conditions in the PYD-controlled areas are very bad as the PYD militias continue to impose taxes on civilians and recruit young men by force. Around 80% of the people aged from 18-35 had to leave Syria to escape forced recruitment by the PYD militia, Berro added.
The Kurdish National Council strongly condemned the authoritarian, repressive practices being carried out by the PYD militias against Syrians in areas under its control, calling on the Kurdish forces and the international community to act urgently to put an end to these reckless practices and protect civilians in the PYD-controlled areas.
The Council renewed its rejection of PYD’s projects and policies which are aimed at harassing the civilian population. It also denounced the PYD’s imposition of forced recruitment, its arbitrary detention policies, the imposition of taxes, the seizure of homes and property of the displaced persons, the imposition of ideology-driven educational curricula and other violations and abuses.
The “Voice of the Detainees” organization on Monday condemned the arbitrary detention of members and leaders of Yeketi Party, calling on human rights organizations to intervene to ensure the release of all detainees in the PYD prisons. The PYD police force, known as the Asayish forces, stormed the headquarters of the Yeketi Party in the town of Amouda in Hasaka province on November 17 and detained a number of its leaders and members. The detainees were then taken to an unknown destination. (Source: Syrian Coalition’s Media Office)
