Read-out – Rojava Information Center Second Human Rights Forum On Human Rights Violations In the Afrin Region of Syria

On 30th of January 2021, the second Human Rights Forum About Human
Rights Violations In Afrin Region – Syria was held in Qamishlo, North and East
Syria. The conference was organised by Rights Defense Initiative Organization –
Syria, Human Rights Organization in Afrin – Syria, Rojava Center for Strategic
Studies, Center for Research and Protection of Women’s Rights in Syria and Human
Rights Organization in Al-Jazeera Canton – Syria.
The first conference was held in December 2018 in Amude. This forum was intended
to follow up on the situation in Afrin regarding human rights violations since the
Turkish invasion and occupation in December 2018. The forum was intended to raise
attention to the issue, and to call upon the international community to act for the
people of Afrin.

Highlights:
– The forum covered among other things the displacement of the people, the
statistics relating to this, and first-hand testimonies.
– A lot of the speakers were focused on viewing the situation in the context of
international law and legal practices.
– A common theme among the speakers was the allusiveness of trying Turkey in
an international court.
– The forum also contained three testimonies of people from Afrin who told of
horrific experiences encountered in the region. The stories of anguish affected
the attendees in a powerful way, bringing many to tears.