NEWS CENTER - The USA put the Ahrar al-Sharqiya group on the sanction list, who killed Kurdish politician Hevrîn Xelef during Turkey's attacks on Northern and Eastern Syria.

 

The United States of America (USA) has included Ahrar al-Sharqiya, who was part of the Syrian National Army, which was established before Turkey's attacks on Northern and Eastern Syria in 2019, and who assassinated Kurdish politician Hevrîn Xelef, on the sanction list. The US Treasury Department announced that Ahrar al-Sharqiya’s assets were frozen and that US-related individuals and institutions were banned from transaction with this group.

 

Aimee Cutrona, a diplomat at the US State Department's Syria desk, said: ‘’Today's sanctions are a reminder that the US will use every diplomatic tool at its disposal to hold people responsible for oppressing the Syrian people and holding them accountable. These sanctions decisions were made at a time when violence in northwestern Syria was escalating. The United States reiterates its call for a ceasefire and an end to violence across Syria.’’ 

 

According to the BBC's report, the ministry also shared the information that sanctions will be imposed on eight prisons and five prison officials under government control in Syria, where alleged torture was carried out on detainees.

 

Two names from Turkey are also on the list

 

Also added to the sanctions list of the Treasury Ministry is Hasan El Saban, who lives in Turkey and is accused of providing financial support to Al-Qaeda, and Faruk Furkatoviç Feyzimatov, who allegedly provides financial support to Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, founded by Al-Qaeda-linked groups in Syria.

 

Ahrar al-Sharqiya

 

Ahrar al-Sharqiya came to the fore with Turkey's attacks on Northern and Eastern Syria. Ahrar al-Sharqia is under the umbrella of the group that accompanied the Turkish Armed Forces during this operation and called itself the Syrian National Army.

 

Ahrar al-Sharqiya was charged with the killing of Hevrîn Xelef, Secretary General of the Future Syria Party, on October 12, 2019, and the murder of some civilians and members of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). Organizations such as the United Nations and Amnesty International accuse this group of committing war crimes in the region.