ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq - Turkish authorities detained at least 99 minors for protesting the Syrian Arab Army’s offensive against Rojava (northeast Syria) last month, Turkey’s main pro-Kurdish Peoples' Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) said Thursday, calling for a parliamentary investigation into the arrests and alleged mistreatment of detainees.

In January, Damascus launched a brutal offensive against the Kurdish-led administration in Rojava, sparking outrage among the Kurdish community with protests erupting in different parts of Kurdistan and abroad.

“At least 99 minors were detained” during the January protests, eight DEM Party lawmakers said in a petition to the parliament’s human rights commission, according to a statement from the party. Of that figure, 25 were officially placed under arrest.

During the offensive, a Syrian soldier was filmed holding a braid from a female Kurdish fighter, mocking her. In response, people braided their hair and posted it on social media in a show of solidarity, with the hairstryle becoming a widespread symbol of resistance and women's empowerment.

According to the statement, a 16-year-old was detained in Izmir for a hair braiding video, allegedly being subjected to a strip search at the juvenile detention facilities.

Prosecutors had also investigated protesters for disseminating "organized propaganda" on social media, a practice that the DEM Party said should have been protected under rights relating to freedom of expression.

Some minors were “banned from seeing a lawyer for 24 hours,” while others suffered “physical violence” during detention, according to the statement, adding that they were forced to sign documents under pressure.

Turkey has been a salient backer of the current Syrian government dating back to the deposing of former President Bashar al-Assad in December 2024, when Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), under the leadership of current interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa, spearheaded a dramatic offensive and seized power.

Ankara also lent vocal support to the nascent Syrian state during the January offensive in Rojava, having long considered the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) to be inextricably linked to its domestic foe, the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).

During the clashes, the Syrian Arab Army is believed to have committed gross war crimes in the Kurdish enclave.