{"id":31282,"date":"2026-09-17T10:01:49","date_gmt":"2026-09-17T07:01:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/stj-sy.org\/?p=31282"},"modified":"2026-09-17T02:22:51","modified_gmt":"2026-09-16T23:22:51","slug":"syria-joint-statement-on-the-abduction-and-killing-of-sipan-hazni-and-the-fire-at-kobani-ayn-al-arab-prison","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stj-sy.org\/en\/syria-joint-statement-on-the-abduction-and-killing-of-sipan-hazni-and-the-fire-at-kobani-ayn-al-arab-prison\/","title":{"rendered":"Syria: Joint Statement on the Abduction and Killing of \u201cSipan Hazni\u201d and the Fire at Kobani\/Ayn al-Arab Prison"},"content":{"rendered":"

The organizations signing this statement are following with grave concern the recent developments in Hasakah and Kobani\/Ayn al-Arab, foremost among them the abduction and killing of Sami Sheikhmous Hasso, known as \u201cSipan Hazni,\u201d by an armed group. The brutal and shocking incident violates the rights to life, liberty, and human dignity, and was compounded by the filming and circulation of images of the crime on social media.<\/p>\n

We condemn in the strongest terms the abduction and extrajudicial killing of Sipan Hazni. Regardless of the party responsible or the motives involved, these acts cannot be justified or tolerated. Filming and circulating images of the crime also constitute an additional violation of the dignity of the victim and his family and likewise require accountability.<\/p>\n

The signatory organizations stress the need to establish the full truth and identify everyone involved in the abduction and killing, including perpetrators, instigators, contributors, and those who concealed the crime, and to take fair legal action against anyone whose responsibility is established. They further call for anyone against whom sufficient evidence exists to be referred to a competent, independent, and impartial court through public proceedings that respect fair-trial guarantees and the rule of law, with independent civil society monitoring.<\/p>\n

The organizations also affirm that military, tribal, or political affiliation cannot confer immunity from accountability. Responsibility must be individual and specifically established, so that every person whose responsibility is proven is held to account, without selectivity or settlements that result in impunity.<\/p>\n

At the same time, the signatory organizations are following with grave concern the subsequent events in the city of Kobani, including the fire at Kobani Prison. According to an initial toll, the fire caused at least seven deaths and injured others, while medical and local sources reported that the toll had risen to nine deaths and 17 injuries.<\/p>\n

Given the seriousness of the incident and the multiple accounts circulating about its circumstances, we welcome the announcement of an investigation. At the same time, we stress the need to disclose the body or committee tasked with the investigation and its powers, and to guarantee its independence and impartiality from all parties that administered the prison or were involved in handling the related events and protests.<\/p>\n

The investigation should cover all circumstances before, during, and after the fire, including detention conditions; fire-prevention and safety measures; the availability of evacuation means; the speed of the response to the fire; the provision of first aid and medical care; and any use of force. It should also determine responsibility for any violations, negligence, or failure to fulfil the duty to protect the lives of persons in detention.<\/p>\n

Urgent measures should also be taken to preserve all relevant evidence, including surveillance-camera footage, official and detention records, and relevant communications; to take statements from survivors and witnesses; to conduct medical examinations, autopsies, and forensic procedures independently and in accordance with recognized standards; and to inform the victims\u2019 families of the investigation\u2019s findings and the measures taken.<\/p>\n

The signatory organizations emphasize that the presence of people inside the prison at the time of the fire imposed a special duty on the authority that was effectively administering the place of detention to protect their lives and safety. Any incomplete arrangements for transferring the prison\u2019s administration should not create a vacuum of responsibility or lead to an exchange of accusations among different parties. Responsibility for protecting detainees and investigating the causes of their deaths must be determined on the basis of the facts and the actual roles of each party, rather than political or administrative considerations.<\/p>\n

The signatory organizations consider that the absence of a transparent and comprehensive national transitional justice process, grounded in truth-seeking, accountability, reparations, and guarantees of non-recurrence, leaves broad space for local conflicts, retaliation, and impunity and undermines confidence in the rule of law.<\/p>\n

Accordingly, addressing these incidents should not be limited to an immediate security response; it must form part of a broader process of justice and accountability.<\/p>\n

The signatory organizations further affirm that accountability must be comprehensive and non-selective. Demands for justice must not become a justification for retaliation or violence, nor should either incident be used to obscure the investigation into the other or to justify related violence. Each incident independently warrants truth-seeking, investigation, and accountability, and every victim has the right to justice and redress.<\/p>\n

Accordingly, the signatory organizations call for the following:<\/strong><\/h5>\n