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After Attacks on Returning Kurds, Calls Grow for Accountability, Compensation and Safe Return
Attacks on displaced Kurds attempting to complete the procedures for returning to Tel Abyad (Kri Sbi) have prompted calls for a serious and transparent investigation, accountability for those responsible, compensation for people whose property was damaged, and guarantees to protect returnees and prevent further incidents. The relevant authorities, meanwhile, announced that they had opened an investigation to establish the circumstances and determine responsibility.
According to information and testimonies collected by the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, the group comprised around 150 people, most of them elderly, as well as women and children. They travelled to the city to submit documents proving their ownership of homes and land after being told they could complete the necessary procedures in preparation for their return.
Witnesses said the visit had been arranged in advance with the relevant local authorities, including the local administration, the Raqqa Governorate and security forces. The purpose was to complete property-verification paperwork and follow up on return procedures. However, groups of people gathered near the administration building, and the displaced families’ vehicles were subsequently smashed, vandalised and set on fire.
Available information indicates that around 20 vehicles were burned, while local sources reported that dozens more were damaged. The full extent of the losses has yet to be established and will require a comprehensive assessment of the damage suffered by those affected.
Videos circulating online showed vehicles being smashed and burned, as well as threats and hostile language directed at the returnees. Reports also indicated that stones and sticks were used and gunfire was heard in the vicinity, prompting families to take shelter inside the administration building.
According to accounts from those present, dozens of people, including women and children, were trapped inside the building for several hours before Internal Security Forces escorted them out of the city. The damaged and burned vehicles remained at the scene. Testimonies differ over whether people were directly assaulted, making it necessary to verify the accounts and available evidence to establish the nature of any abuses and identify those responsible.
The incident has again drawn attention to the circumstances of thousands of displaced Kurds who fled Tel Abyad and its surrounding countryside following Turkey’s “Operation Peace Spring” in 2019. Many continue to face difficulties returning to their homes and land and reclaiming their property, amid concerns about their safety and property rights.
Those affected called for the investigation’s findings to be made public, those responsible for the attacks to be identified and held accountable under the law, and owners of damaged vehicles and property to be compensated. They also called for security and legal safeguards to prevent further attacks and ensure that displaced people can exercise their right to return without threats or intimidation.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the incident raises questions about the security measures taken to protect the returnees—particularly as, according to testimonies, the visit was coordinated with official bodies and the attacks took place near the administration building. It said the relevant authorities are responsible for investigating the incident and holding those responsible to account, as well as taking effective steps to protect displaced people and their property and address obstacles to a safe and dignified return.
The Observatory stressed that the investigation should be completed independently and transparently, its findings made public, and anyone found responsible held accountable. It also called for effective remedies and compensation for those affected, alongside practical measures to prevent similar incidents.
It further emphasised that displaced people’s right to return voluntarily, safely and with dignity—and to reclaim their property—must be protected by meaningful legal and security guarantees, free from threats, violence and the imposition of a fait accompli. Such safeguards are essential to protecting the rights of those affected and strengthening social peace in the region.
