Home · World · Sep 12 archive
At Least Seven Killed in Prison Fire in Northern Syria
Confirmed
In Short: A fire and riot broke out in a prison in northern Syria, killing at least seven people, according to state media.
A fire and riot broke out in a prison in a predominantly Kurdish town in northern Syria on Saturday, killing at least seven people, state media reported.
The SANA news agency said the fire started when inmates rioted over tensions that had erupted in the town the previous day between Kurds and Arabs.
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that the riots started over plans by authorities to transfer some inmates to a prison in the northern city of Aleppo.
The prison is still run by Kurdish fighters despite Syrian government forces entering the town along the border with Turkey recently, highlighting ongoing tensions between the Kurdish minority and the central government.
The protests and prison riot highlight the divisions still present in Syria following the ousting of longtime leader Bashar al-Assad in December 2024, according to reports from Al Jazeera.
What's confirmed
- A fire and riot broke out in a prison in a predominantly Kurdish town in northern Syria on Saturday, killing at least seven people, state media reported.
- The SANA news agency said the fire started when inmates rioted over tensions that had erupted in the town the previous day between Kurds and Arabs.
- The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that the riots started over plans by authorities to transfer some inmates to a prison in the northern city of Aleppo.
- The prison is still run by Kurdish fighters despite Syrian government forces entering the town along the border with Turkey recently, highlighting ongoing tensions between the Kurdish minority and the central government.
- The protests and prison riot highlight the divisions still present in Syria following the ousting of longtime leader Bashar al-Assad in December 2024, according to reports from Al Jazeera.
What's still developing
- In late August, the commander of the Kurdish-led and U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces announced the official dissolution of the group, which once controlled a de facto autonomous zone in Syria’s northeast.
- AFP reported that his body showed wounds caused by gunfire.
- Rudaw reported that some of the protesters attacked security forces and were being held in the prison at the time of the riot and fire.
- Syria’s new head of state, President Ahmed al-Sharaa, has pledged to oversee an inclusive administration and govern for all.
- “Seven prisoners have died and dozens were injured” at Kobane prison, state television reported.