Delegation from University of Geneva visits Syriac Military Council in North and East Syria

NORTH AND EAST SYRIA — A delegation from the University of Geneva Faculty of Law visited the headquarters of the Syriac Military Council (Mawtbo Fulḥoyo Suryoyo, MFS) where they were greeted by MFS spokesperson Aram Hanna and a number of other members of MFS.

During the meeting, the two sides discussed several issues, most notably human rights violations committed against the population of North and East Syria by the Islamic State (ISIS), Turkey, and the Turkish-backed Syrian National Army (SNA).

Among the violations discussed was the targeting of a school east of Tel Tamr by Turkish artillery.

One of the main agendas of the meeting was to discuss the issue of the prisoners of war from the MFS illegally transported across the Turkish border and sentenced to life in prison in violation of the Fourth Geneva Convention.

Article 49 of the Fourth Geneva Convention prohibits the individual or mass forcible transfer and deportation of protected persons from occupied territory to the territory of the occupying power, regardless of their motives.

The leadership of the Syriac Military Council affirmed its full commitment to all agreements signed between the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and the United Nations regarding the protection of children and educational facilities.