Alan Meîş

1/8 Following the assassination of the Kurdish young man Sipan Hazni in the Hasakah countryside by an armed group, in a crime that bore the hallmarks of an ISIS-style attack, the Kurdish people in different areas took to the streets to demand the arrest and prosecution of those responsible. Kobani was at the forefront of these protests. 2/8 In response to the protests, Damascus sent forces from Aleppo to Kobani to disperse the demonstrators. These forces entered the city in military convoys and with a military posture that made it clear they appeared more like an occupying force entering hostile territory than security forces deployed to maintain order and protect civilians. 3/8 Their arrival was accompanied by insults directed at Kurds, chants of “Allahu Akbar,” and other racist chants. They also arrested a number of young men who had taken part in the protests. Such conduct has nothing to do with the role of security forces, whose duty is to protect citizens and safeguard their right to peaceful protest. 4/8 During their detention, the detainees were subjected to racist insults and abuse by prison personnel and officials. In response, the detainees protested and set fire to their blankets, while the prison administration failed to intervene in time to prevent the tragedy. 5/8 The fire inside the prison resulted in the martyrdom of nine civilian detainees and injuries to many others. This is 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. 6/8 Responsibility does not rest solely with the individuals who committed the abuses. It also extends to those who issued the orders, those who permitted such practices, and every official who failed to protect the detainees. Damascus must not transfer or conceal those involved in order to shield them from accountability. 7/8 Damascus must understand that continuing to deal with the Kurdish people, or with any other Syrian community, through a militia-like and racist mentality threatens civil peace and deepens division. What is needed is a state that protects its citizens-not forces that enter their cities as though they were an occupying force. 8/8 The demand is clear: an independent and transparent investigation, the identification of all those responsible, accountability for those involved, and justice for the victims and their families. A state cannot be built through denial and impunity. Justice does not have a statute of limitations.