Aleppo – The Justice Center for Human Rights has accused armed elements affiliated with Syria’s transitional government of committing serious violations amounting to war crimes and crimes against humanity in the predominantly Kurdish neighborhoods of Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafieh in the city of Aleppo.

In a statement, the center said that since taking control of the two neighborhoods—allegedly with Turkish cooperation and international complicity—these forces have carried out grave abuses of human rights and international humanitarian law. Reported violations include summary executions, mutilation of bodies, abuse of detainees, and the imposition of strict restrictions on independent media coverage, including the detention of journalists.

The statement cited multiple video recordings documenting degrading and violent practices, including the throwing of a female member of the Asayish forces from the roof of a building amid chants and insults, verbal humiliation of detainees by forcing them to imitate animal sounds, physical and verbal abuse likening detainees to livestock, and the use of racist and demeaning slurs against civilians. Another video reportedly shows a fully armed soldier dragging a body down a staircase in Sheikh Maqsoud—later identified by the Asayish as one of their fighters.

According to the center, these actions have deepened social divisions between Arabs and Kurds to an unprecedented level, surpassing even the worst periods of hostility under the former regime. The statement also reported forced displacement, arbitrary arrests affecting at least 300 civilians from Sheikh Maqsoud under harsh and degrading conditions, dozens of enforced disappearance cases, and attacks on civilian objects and medical facilities.

The Justice Center for Human Rights strongly condemned the violations, warning that their continuation—along with racist and degrading practices—fuels hatred and poses a serious threat to social cohesion, civil peace, and the future of coexistence among Syria’s communities, particularly Arabs and Kurds. The center called for an immediate, transparent international investigation to uncover the truth and hold all those responsible accountable without exception.

It further demanded the safe return of forcibly displaced persons, the release of detainees, clarification of the fate of the missing, guarantees for the protection of detainees, respect for human dignity, and an end to all forms of torture and humiliation. The statement concluded by urging a return to peaceful dialogue and the rejection of the use of force, warning that continued escalation could destabilize Syria as a whole.