The ongoing practice of arbitrary imprisonment, extortion, and torture of civilians by Syrian National Army (SNA) factions in northern Syria is severely condemned by the Washington Center for Human Rights (WCHR). Under the supervision of the transitional Syrian government and its foreign supporters—most notably Turkey, which keeps financial and military connections with the former opposition fighters—severe human rights abuses continued even after Bashar al-Assad’s administration fell.
A Human Rights Watch study from February 2024 claims that SNA militias that Turkey first supported to oppose the Assad government have subsequently been incorporated into the Syrian Armed Forces. With infamous leaders linked to previous atrocities now occupying senior posts in the new military system, this shift has not been followed by accountability.
Frequently, on false pretenses, their soldiers have committed systematic atrocities against Kurdish civilians and suspected SDF affiliates. According to the victims, they were kidnapped, tortured, and made to pay a ransom. Additionally, reports describe how Turkish intelligence used covert detention facilities like Maarata Prison and engaged in torture.
The Syrian transitional administration has to stop supporting commanders and groups involved in atrocities immediately.
- Unite its armed forces under an open and responsible civilian government.
- Examine all claims of arbitrary detention and war crimes, and use just legal procedures to guarantee justice.
- All civilians detained arbitrarily, including those in SNA jails under Turkish supervision, should be released.
- Encourage displaced communities, especially those from Afrin and northern Aleppo, to return safely and voluntarily.
- Permit independent oversight of human rights conditions for all detention facilities.
Turkey must immediately cut off all military, financial, and logistical assistance to violent SNA groups, sever ties with war crime-related commanders, Provide victims with compensation and assist transitional justice systems. The establishment of an accountable, rights-based security apparatus in Syria and the growth of an independent judiciary that can uphold due process and offer fair trials should be supported by financial and technical aid from international players.
The WCHR restates that as long as war criminals continue to enjoy power, there will be no real transition or peace in Syria. Syria’s future must be built on the principles of justice, accountability, and the defense of human rights.