On December 8, 2025, the city of Afrin in northern Syria witnessed the detention of three young men who were members of the team organizing a celebration marking one year since the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime.
The young men had been participating in preparations for the event held at the “Afrin Ya Shabab” stadium in the city center, organized by the Kurdish National Council (ENKS).
According to the information received, a verbal altercation broke out at the celebration site concerning the raising of the Kurdish flag, after which a security body affiliated with the interim authority in Syria, “Hayat Tahrir al-Sham,” took the young men to the investigations office. During the interrogation, they were subjected to insults and verbal abuse of a racist nature targeting their Kurdish identity.
The young men were detained for a short period before being released later. This incident comes in the context of recurring tensions over Kurdish symbols and civil activities in the area, which are sometimes accompanied by violations during detention or interrogation, particularly against members of the Kurdish community in Afrin.
