The Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR) said that the PYD militia arrested 10 civilians, including a child, at a checkpoint in Raqqa governorate with the aim of forcibly recruiting them into its ranks.
The Network indicated that the PYD militia did not inform any of the detainees’ relatives of their arrest, adding that it seized their phones and prevented them from communicating with their families.
The rights group stressed that these practices aim to spread terror among the civilian population and blackmail the families of the detainees. It expressed serious concern for the fate of the detainees, especially in light of the surge of the covid-19 virus in recent weeks.
The PYD-held areas are witnessing frequent demonstrations against the forced recruitment of the local population and the terrorist practices against civilians.
The Syrian Opposition Coalition (SOC) earlier called on the international community to immediately stop the support for the PYD terrorist militia and to hold accountable all those responsible for violations against civilians, especially the youth and children.
The SOC stressed that the PYD terrorist militia is following in the footsteps of the Assad regime in terms of arrest, repression and torture, citing the arrest campaigns, kidnapping and torture of civilians, especially the internally displaced people. The SOC also said that the PYD militia continues to target civilian areas in northern Syria, and deploy vehicle-borne improvised explosive devices in civilian neighborhoods, popular markets and crowded areas.
(Source: SOC’s Media Department)
