Demonstrations demand departure of HTS after its tyranny in Idlib

Aya Ezz

There have been continuous demonstrations by the people of the northern province of Idlib against the arbitrary practices of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), demanding the departure of the terrorist organization from Idlib, which began on December 25, 2020, according to what was reported by the national SANA news agency, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and local Syrian newspapers.

Abusive practices

HTS had carried out several arbitrary practices against the people of Idlib that violated human rights charters, including the imposition of royalties and what it claimed was zakat on capital owners, merchants and farmers, especially owners of olive farms, commercial companies and cars, in addition to forcibly placing its hands on most olive oil squeezers and imposing an oil zakat on everyone who owns an olive oil squeezer.

Arrests and enforced disappearances

HTS was also responsible for arbitrary detentions and enforced disappearances of the youth and men of the various Idlib villages, as the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights confirmed, in its latest report, that about 2,166 Syrian citizens are still being arrested or forcibly disappeared in HTS detention centers.

Displacement

The Syrian Observatory reported at the end of December that during the year 2020, HTS displaced nearly 1,000 Syrian citizens from the various villages of Idlib, due to many things, including serving the Turks and building military bases in most of the villages that expelled the people, especially since they want to empty the north of Syria in favor of Turkey. After the expulsion of the people, HTS deliberately robbed the homes of all their contents.

Executions

According to the Observatory’s report, HTS intentionally arrested a large number of Idlib youths and men, randomly and arbitrarily, and then hid them and took them to unknown places.

The Observatory said that 2,166 young men and Syrian citizens are under arrest in HTS prisons in places that no one knows. It added that HTS carried out death sentences against dozens of citizens on false charges, most of which were charges of treason.

Killing children

The Syrian Observatory noted that HTS also committed many crimes against children, as during the year 2020 it killed nearly 50 children indiscriminately due to bombings and clashes, and sometimes by mistake. In addition, a large number of children and families have been kidnapped by HTS members.