2015 Amnesty report reveals a range of abuses perpetrated by YPG in northern Syria

Amnesty International had documented a range of abuses perpetrated by the YPG militants in areas of northern Syria under their control. These abuses include forced displacement, demolition of homes, and the seizure and destruction of property. In some cases, entire villages have been demolished, apparently in retaliation for the perceived support of their Arab or Turkmen residents for the group that calls itself the Daesh or other non-state armed groups.

The human rights group conducted a research in the areas under the control of the YPG militants -- the Syrian branch of the bloody-minded PKK terror group -- in northern Syria by visiting 14 towns and villages in alHasakeh and al-Raqqa governorates and interviewing 37 individuals who had directly experienced abuses perpetrated by the YPG militants or witnessed them.

In July and August 2015 Amnesty International investigated the forced displacement of residents from 10 villages and towns in areas under the control of the YPG/PYD: the town of Suluk and its surrounding villages, including al-Ghbein, Raneen, Hammam al-Turkman, al-Maghat, Mela Berho, and Asaylem, as well as the villages of Abdi Koy and Tel Fweida in the Tel Abyad and Tel Tamr countryside, respectively, and Husseiniya in Tel Hamees countryside.

In Asaylem and Husseiniya, villagers were not only displaced, but YPG militants demolished resident homes. The right group visited the village of Husseiniya in early August 2015, and saw that all but one of the homes in the village had been demolished by the People's Protection Units (YPG). Residents said there were approximately 90 homes in the village.

One resident told researchers: "We stayed at home… They [the YPG] said, 'Stay in your homes. We won't bother you. We have come to liberate you [from Daesj]. We just want the names of the people that are wanted.' But then they wouldn't even let us take our clothes out of the house… They pulled us out of our homes and began burning them… Then they brought the bulldozers and they began demolishing the homes… Every time I tried to come near the house they would push me back…

The group also interviewed residents from Ras al-Ayn and the village of Tel Diyab in Ras al-Ayn countryside who said that they had been forcibly displaced by the YPG militants and that their property had been destroyed or confiscated, though they said that they – and not the entire community – were singled out for this treatment.

While the majority of residents affected by these unlawful practices are Arabs and Turkmen, in some cases, for example in the mixed town of Suluk, Kurdish residents have also been barred by the YPG militants from returning to their homes. Elsewhere, for example in Abdi Koy village, a small number of Kurdish residents have also been forcibly displaced by the YPG.

The deliberate demolition of civilian homes described in this report is unlawful under international humanitarian law, which prohibits the destruction or seizure of the property of an adversary, unless required by imperative military necessity. International humanitarian law also prohibits the displacement of civilians during noninternational armed conflicts except for their own security or for imperative military reasons.

Amnesty International considers that these instances of forced displacement constitute war crimes. The circumstances of some of the instances of forced displacement documented in this report suggest that they were carried out in retaliation for people's perceived sympathies with, or family ties to, suspected members of Daesh or other armed groups. This would constitute collective punishment, which is a violation of international humanitarian law.

Farah, a local woman who was present when the clashes began, and other residents said that some homes in the village were damaged during the clashes in February 2014 but that these homes were rebuilt later in the year. She explained: "The clashes started very early in the morning, around dawn… I remember that some of the homes were burned because of the clashes but the owners reconstructed them. I think around 20 homes were affected, but I don't remember exactly… The clashes lasted for one day."

Mariam, a mother of seven living in the village, said that four or five homes were destroyed by Daesh when they took control of the village, but that these homes had been rebuilt before the YPG took over.

Most Husseiniya residents fled the village before the YPG took control of the area. When they returned they found that their homes had been demolished. Farah explained: "In mid-February we heard that Daesh was retreating from the Tel Hamees countryside and the sound of coalition warplanes intensified so we decided to leave to Qamishli… We left before the YPG entered and returned in the beginning of March 2015. When we came back we saw our homes were demolished… We don't know who did it, but who else was here other than YPG?"

The researchers spoke to another woman who was present in the village when the YPG took it over. She saw them demolish her home, as well as the homes of others. She said: "We stayed at home… They [the YPG] said, 'Stay in your homes. We won't bother you. We have come to liberate you [from Daesh]. We just want the names of the people that are wanted.' But then they wouldn't even let us take our clothes out of the house… They pulled us out of our homes and began burning them… Then they brought the bulldozers and they began demolishing the homes… Every time I tried to come near the house they would push me back… The people that came were wearing green camouflage uniforms… They said they lost their comrades, but we are not responsible."

Her brother told researchers that the YPG accused the villagers of supporting Daesh and said they had lost 90 fighters during clashes in the village in February 2014, and then burned their homes by way of retaliation. He explained: "They said, 'You were with Daesh in the clashes against us [in 2014]', but in this village, not one person remained in their home… We fled at the beginning of the clashes … When the YPG came [after taking over the area] we were here and they pulled us out of our homes and they started burning the homes. After setting them on fire… they brought bulldozers and the YPG started the demolitions. They demolished home after home until the entire village was destroyed… We want compensation and to rebuild our homes… We don't have the means to rebuild… Now we are displaced in the villages, we don't have electricity or water… They said they lost 90 comrades in this village but we have nothing to do with it. There were clashes between Daesh and the YPG, but what does it have to do with us? Not one family remained in the village [during the clashes]… Not one villager died because there were no villagers here during the clashes.

All of the residents who spoke to researchers said that they were not compensated for their destroyed homes. Nor were they provided with alternative housing, or given the means to rebuild.