The rendition of Syrian nationals to Turkey, where they are prosecuted and jailed on thinly evidenced terror charges, has returned to the spotlight with the life sentencing by a Turkish court of three men of the Syriac Orthodox Christian faith to life in prison. Lawyers say the June 22 verdict violates Turkish and international humanitarian law and reflects the unlawful actions of Turkish forces and their Sunni rebel proxies in the large swaths of territory that Turkey occupies in northern Syria.

Jamil Gorges, Amad Jassim Suud and Muhsin Garbhi Ahli were detained in their village outside the northern Syrian town of Ras al-Ain soon after Turkish forces invaded the area in October 2019, part of an operation codenamed Peace Spring that was approved by then-US President Donald Trump. They are among at least 63 Syrian nationals — some rights monitors say there could be as many as 200 — who were apprehended by the Turkish-backed Syrian National Army forces on charges of membership in a terrorist organization, namely the Syrian Kurdish People’s Protection Units. The YPG operates under the umbrella of the Syrian Democratic Forces, the United States’ lead partner in the battle against the Islamic State. Most of the SDF are ethnic Arabs.

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SDF spokesperson Kino Gabriel told Al-Monitor that some 75 SDF fighters had been detained and illegally transferred to Turkey. “There are also others who worked in the civilian administration who were also arrested, tortured and tried in Turkish courts. This is a massive violation and comes on top of widespread abuses by Turkey’s proxies in the Syrian National Army who are looting, robbing, killing, raping in Syrian lands occupied by Turkey,” Gabriel said.