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Assyrians Under Kurdish Rule: The Assyrians Under Kurdish Rule e Situation in Northeastern Syria Assyrians Under Kurdish Rule The Situation in Northeastern Syria Silvia Ulloa Assyrian Confederation of Europe January 2017 www.assyrianconfederation.com [email protected] The Assyrian Confederation of Europe (ACE) represents the Assyrian European community and is made up of Assyrian national federations in European countries. The objective of ACE is to promote Assyrian culture and interests in Europe and to be a voice for deprived Assyrians in historical Assyria. The organization has its headquarters in Brussels, Belgium. Cover photo: Press TV Contents Introduction 4 Double Burdens 6 Threats to Property and Private Ownership 7 Occupation of facilities Kurdification attempts with school system reform Forced payments for reconstruction of Turkish cities Intimidation and Violent Reprisals for Self-Determination 9 Assassination of David Jendo Wusta gunfight Arrest of Assyrian Priest Kidnapping of GPF Fighters Attacks against Assyrians Violent Incidents 11 Bombings Provocations Amuda case ‘Divide and Rule’ Strategy: Parallel Organizations 13 Sources 16 4 Introduction Syria’s disintegration as a result of the Syrian rights organizations. Among them is Amnesty Civil War created the conditions for the rise of International, whose October 2015 publica- Kurdish autonomy in northern Syria, specifi- tion outlines destructive campaigns against the cally in the governorates of Al-Hasakah and Arab population living in the region. Aleppo. This region, known by Kurds as ‘Ro- Assyrians have experienced similar abuses. java’ (‘West’, in West Kurdistan), came under This ethnic group resides mainly in Al-Ha- the control of the Kurdish socialist Democratic sakah governorate (‘Jazire‘ canton under the Union Party (abbreviated PYD) in 2012, after PYD, known by Assyrians as Gozarto). The the strain of the civil war caused the weakened largest city in Al-Hasakah, Qamishli, now Syrian state to withdraw and leave the area serves as the de facto capital of ‘Rojava’, al- under local militia control. though Qamishli’s population has historically The 2012 PYD takeover of northern Syria is been majority Assyrian and the city itself was often described in Western media as the ‘Ro- established by Assyrians fleeing from genocide java Revolution.’ The governorates of Al-Ha- in the early 20th century. sakah and Aleppo are referred to by the PYD Incidents against Assyrians are underre- as the cantons of Kobani, Afrin, and Jazire. In ported. Kurdish-led media outlets, favorable March 2016, the PYD officially declared its in- to the Kurdish cause, prefer to minimize the tention to become an autonomous federation, severity of repression and its effects on and a move rejected by the Syrian state and opposi- significance for the non-Kurdish populations. tion groups. These outlets often provide information used The PYD’s self-proclaimed Autonomous by the mainstream media when covering areas Administration maintains security through the of Syria dominated by the Kurdish administra- Asayish, its police, and the People’s Protection tion. A recent report by NPR in the United Units (YPG), which serves as its armed forces. States quotes a Kurdish man who was too The rise of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Le- “afraid of the Kurdish forces” in Hasakah to vant in summer 2014 has further boosted the allow the reporters to use his real name.1 Given Kurdish struggle for autonomy and brought that this state of affairs prevails among the international recognition and support to the Kurdish population, it should be no surprise YPG, as they have been successful in combat- that Assyrians, with their comparative lack of ing ISIL with the help of U.S support. Aside demographic, political and military clout, are from their fight against ISIS, the Autonomous in a weak position when it comes to speaking Administration has earned praise due to its out against abuses committed against them. inclusive constitution, adopted in 2014, which This report addresses legal burdens, intimi- guarantees non-Kurdish communities protec- dation and violent incidents experienced by tion, freedom of religion, and the freedom to Assyrians under the Autonomous Administra- use and teach their own language. tion, abuses which depict a pattern of attempt- Despite the democratic and inclusive language ed ethnic cleansing of Hasakah, overreaches by used by the Kurdish administration, severe hu- Kurdish forces, and retribution against Assyr- man rights abuses against non-Kurdish groups ian individuals and groups which refuse to join have been noted by international human Kurdish organizations. 1 NPR 2016 The Assyrians in Syria, often described in media only as “Christians” are concentrated in the Hasaka gov- ernerate in northeastern Syria. The Khabour region is composed of 34 Assyrian villages. Assyrians have also a significant presence in the nearby border town of Qamishli and in the provincial capital Hasakah. 6 Double Burdens Following the ‘Rojava Revolution’, Assyrians, tween Syrian regime and Autonomous Admin- among other communities, are threatened by istration borders. These issues are not exclusive dual military service burdens caused by the to Assyrians, but affect them disproportionately presence of both Syrian state and Kurdish self- as the majority of their population resides in a proclaimed authorities in their home areas. As governorate divided between the two regimes. the Syrian regime retains power in much of Al- The hardship of potential conscription and ad- Hasakah province, Assyrians remain subject to ditional taxes and fees on businesses and indi- conscription into the Syrian military. Mean- viduals limits the mobility and opportunities of while, residents of Kurdish-controlled areas are those living at the crossroads of the two regimes. required to serve in YPG militias. Neither ad- In addition to these burdens, Assyrians also ministration recognizes the validity of service find themselves caught in the middle of con- completed for the other’s forces, meaning that flicts between the Syrian state and Kurdish male Syrian citizens between the ages of 18 to forces, as has occurred in both April and Au- 30 who completed their military service years gust 2016. The clashes between YPG and the prior to the PYD’s takeover can nonetheless find Asayish against the Syrian state in August 2016 themselves forced to serve in YPG militias. 2 lasted a week and saw airstrikes by Syrian state In addition to the threat of double conscrip- planes against PYD-affiliated targets, leaving tion, the presence of two authorities in Hasakah many even in the center of Qamishli without imposes monetary burdens on the population. electricity and supplies.4 Conflicts between the As subjects of the Syrian state, they are expected two authorities threaten the stability and safety to continue paying Syrian state taxes and regu- of the region and leave Assyrians in a vulner- lar fees for shop permits and state authoriza- able position, further driving Assyrians to leave tion. The self-proclaimed Autonomous Ad- their homes and immigrate. ministration, while not extracting taxes directly from individuals, nonetheless imposes import fees for those who bring goods from across state boundaries. For example, an Assyrian from Qamishli interviewed in Sweden recalls how he was forced to pay unofficial tariffs for the transport of building material and all other household goods from Damascus to Qamishli. 3 There are also fees imposed for construction and store permits. The dual military service and monetary bur- den affect all citizens who need to cross be- 2 The National 3 Interview with “Sargon”, 2016 4 Interview with “Ninorta”, 2016 7 Threats to Property and Private Ownership Assyrian homes and lands have been exposed to cruitment that the presence of two regimes has looting and threats of confiscation by Kurdish placed on the non-Kurdish communities of authorities, similar to the takeover and demoli- northern Syria.8 tion of Arab communities in the area south of Despite the rejection of the law, the seizure Qamishli that has been well-documented by of Assyrian property and businesses still takes Amnesty International’s 2015 report. place. Ashur Motors, for example, an Assyrian Assyrians from villages around the Khabur minibus company, was publicly expropriated River fled from their homes after ISIL attacks in by the Kurdish self-administration in January 2015. Upon returning, they found their homes 2016, under the pretext that its business had had been looted of valuables and even furni- dwindled owing to the war. ture.5 YPG members have been found to be at least partially responsible for the looting.6 OCCUPATION OF FACILITIES In September 2015, members of the Auton- Aside from threats to individual’s rights over omous Administration proposed a law that their property, the Kurdish forces occupy and would have given the PYD rights over all homes utilize Assyrian facilities at will. In summer and land left behind by those who fled. The PYD 2015, YPG forces occupied an Assyrian school argued that this law would help it protect aban- in the Hasakah city center. Despite complaints doned property, by allowing them to administer by the school’s management that their occupa- it as needed during the time it is uninhabited. tion would affect students’ ability to start school, However, Assyrians and other minorities op- the YPG refused to provide a straight answer on posed the law, seeing it as an attempt by Kurd- when their occupation would cease. ish authorities
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