Martyrs’ Families Councils condemn vandalism at Sheikh Maqsoud Cemetery, demand accountability

Today, the Martyrs’ Families Councils in Qamishlo, Tirbespiye, Amuda, Çil Agha, Girkê Legê and Derbasiyah issued a joint statement to the public condemning the vandalism of the Martyrs’ Cemetery in Aleppo’s Sheikh Maqsoud neighborhood two days ago, including the targeting of the tomb of martyr Sherfan Aleppo.

In Qamishlo, council member Rozan Sarik read the statement in Kurdish outside the Martyrs’ Families Council center, while council member Ahmed Hamo read it in Arabic.

In Girkê Legê, the statement was read in Kurdish and Arabic outside the Martyrs’ Families Council in the town of Rmelan, which is administratively part of the city, by council member Bashir Ali and council member Dilber Abdullah.

In Çil Agha, council member Karima al-Ahmad read the statement in Arabic outside the council’s center in the Rasafa neighborhood, while member Ahin Shweish read it in Kurdish. Martyrs’ families, members of civil institutions and women’s movements, and representatives of political parties attended.

In Amuda, the statement was read outside the council building in the presence of members of the Martyrs’ Families Council, the Kongra Star and the city council. Jilan Yusuf, a member of the Kongra Star, read the statement.

In Tirbespiye, council member Hasina Suleiman read the statement in Kurdish outside the Martyrs’ Families Council, while council member Berxwedan Temo read it in Arabic, in the presence of local residents and martyrs’ families.

In Derik, council member Mahmoud Rasul read the statement outside the council building in the presence of its members.

In Derbasiyah, council members Ibrahim Hussein and Janan Mohammed read the statement in Arabic and Kurdish, with martyrs’ families and members of civil institutions and councils in attendance.

In the city of Hasakah, Jihan Khalil, an administrative member of the council, read the statement at Martyr Djiwar Cemetery, with dozens of city residents and martyrs’ families in attendance.

In their statement, the Martyrs’ Families Councils stressed that the attack on the cemetery two days ago was not merely an act of vandalism targeting stones and gravestones, but an assault on the sanctity of the martyrs’ blood and the national and human significance embodied by their cemeteries.

The councils said the attack was part of a series of repeated violations, recalling vandalism at martyrs’ cemeteries in the city of al-Shaddadi and other areas and cities, where photographs and tombs of martyrs had been damaged.

The statement said the repeated attacks revealed negligence in protecting martyrs’ cemeteries and placed the relevant authorities and those responsible for the integration process before moral and executive responsibilities that could no longer be postponed.

The councils called on the relevant authorities to assume direct responsibility for protecting martyrs’ cemeteries and safeguarding them against vandalism. They also demanded immediate action to launch serious and comprehensive investigations, identify those responsible for the attacks and the parties behind them, and hold them publicly accountable with the highest levels of transparency, stressing that firm action and justice must deter anyone seeking to undermine the dignity of the martyrs.

Concluding their statement, the Martyrs’ Families Councils stressed that the tombs and photographs of the martyrs would remain beyond attempts to erase or deface them. They affirmed their commitment to continuing their responsibility to protect this trust and remain faithful to the pledge they had made.

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ANHA