Permanent Peoples’ Tribunal in Brussels investigates Turkish crimes in North and East Syria

BRUSSELS — A peoples’ tribunal, organized by human rights groups and legal organizations, convened in Brussels to investigate crimes committed by Turkish occupation forces and their affiliated militias in North and East Syria. Launched on Wednesday, the Permanent Peoples’ Tribunal on Rojava vs Turkey seeks to examine violations dating back to 2018 and assess their humanitarian and legal impact on the region.

Rojava is the Kurdish name for northern and northeastern parts of Syria. Other names for overlapping regions include Gozarto (Syriac) and Jazira (Arabic).

The event brought together delegations from the Syriac Union Party (SUP) in Syria, the European Syriac Union (ESU), human rights organizations, activists, and victims who provided testimony on Turkish-led offenses.

Today, we have attended the opening session of the Permanent People’s Tribunal on Rojava vs. Turkey. Turkey has to be held accountable for the violation of human rights in Rojava. Syria has to take on account the Kurds; there is no future for Syria without the Kurds on board. pic.twitter.com/AEvlZG2aVU

— Pernando Barrena MEP🔻🍉 (@pernandobarrena) February 5, 2025

The Tribunal’s proceedings focused on exposing systematic violations perpetrated by Turkey and its allied militias, including human rights abuses, forced displacement, and targeted attacks on civilians in the region. Evidence presented during the sessions detailed the ongoing suffering inflicted upon local populations.

Turkey has denied allegations of war crimes in Cafrin (Afrin), claiming its military actions targeted terrorist threats and the demographic shifts were a natural outcome of the Syrian civil war. However, rights groups and observers have presented evidence of systematic displacement and population transfers targeting Kurdish civilians.

Investigator Efstathios C. Efstathiou described how Turkey’s 2018 military offensive, Operation Olive Branch, forcibly displaced over 120,000 mostly Kurdish residents from Cafrin. The displacement, which forced many to seek refuge in Al-Shahba and Al-Tabqa, was presented by Ankara as a security targeting “terrorists.” The result, however, was the near eradication of the Kurdish presence in Cafrin, with Arab families, particularly from Eastern Ghouta, relocated to the area. Reports to the Tribunal revealed that displaced civilians faced movement restrictions, property confiscation, and coercion, with Kurdish homes and land redistributed to settlers allied with Turkish-backed forces.

While the Tribunal lacks judicial authority, its findings may support future cases in international courts like the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) or the International Criminal Court (ICC). Lawyers for displaced civilians are exploring legal avenues to address forced displacement and demographic engineering. Despite these efforts, displaced families remain in exile, and reversing demographic changes in Cafrin appears increasingly unlikely.

Joseph Lahdo, Co-Chair of the European branch of the SUP, shared insights into the tribunal’s discussions and findings. He underscored the critical need for international legal action to hold perpetrators accountable and to address the continuing violations under Turkish occupation.

Turkish representatives were formally invited to attend and address the allegations but declined to participate.