Prison Fire Kills 7 as Kurds Protest Killing

Shami blamed Damascus, saying the security forces it sent insulted Kurds and used racist chants, and that detainees "protested and set fire to their blankets, while the prison administration failed to intervene in time to prevent the tragedy." He called it "a grave tragedy for which Damascus bears responsibility and which demands an independent and transparent investigation, as well as accountability for everyone who caused it or failed to prevent it."

Sipan Hamo, a former SDF commander and now a deputy to the Syrian defense minister for eastern Syria, condemned the killing that set off the protests. "The competent authorities have taken the initiative to apprehend a number of those involved, and they continue their efforts until all the criminals are arrested, to stand before the judiciary and receive a fair trial commensurate with the brutality of the crime committed, in accordance with the law," he wrote. He also urged calm: "I call upon the sons and daughters of our people to exercise patience, self-control, and to avoid being drawn into attempts to incite strife."

Hizni's sister, Faner Haso, told Rudaw she did not know why her brother was killed. "He left home at 2 [pm]. He returned, and I asked him to have lunch. He ate and left but never came back," she said.