ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – The family of a man who died after a fire broke out in a Kobane prison on Wednesday called for those responsible for the incident to be held accountable.

On Saturday, nine inmates of the Kobane prison died after a fire broke out at a prison in the area, coming amid heightened tensions following the murder of a Kurdish fighter belonging to the Hasaka Brigade of the Syrian army, which is composed of members of the now-dissolved Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).

The blaze broke out amid reports of unrest in the penitentiary, with the Rojava-based Ronahi TV accusing Syrian government personnel of attacking prisoners and causing the fire, while Syrian state media reported that the inmates began a riot and set fire to prison facilities after news of the Kurdish fighter's killing came to light.

“Those who incited the incident must be held accountable,” Ayman Saleh Rashid, the brother of victim Aziz Rashid, told Kurdish media outlet Hawar News Agency.

Rashid noted that the incident took place after his brother and his fellow detainees rejected a decision by security forces to transfer them to Aleppo.

Following the incident, the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights claimed that the chaos began after prisoners protested their planned transfer from Kobane to a prison in Aleppo.

They allegedly set fire to their bodies in protest against the decision to transfer them, Rashid added.

On Monday, Syrian presidential advisor and the SDF’s former chief Mazloum Abdi stressed the need for a “transparent and independent investigation” into a Kobane prison incident that left nine people dead and several others injured, Rojava-based media reported.

Abdi also stressed the need to “hold accountable those responsible for violations against civilians and prisoners” and to accelerate the integration of the city’s security, judicial and administrative institutions, the report added.

The tensions come despite the announced completion of the integration process between the SDF and Damascus, in line with the January 29 agreement, which entailed the incorporation of the Kurdish-led autonomous administration in Rojava into the auspices of the Syrian state.

The integration followed a violent military campaign by Damascus and its affiliated factions in January that led to the deaths of hundreds and saw a myriad of sectarian-induced war crimes committed against the Kurdish community.

Syria has fallen into sectarian conflict on several occasions since Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) rebels overthrew the Bashar al-Assad regime in December 2024, leading Ahmed al-Sharaa to seize the presidency, with the new authorities in Damascus having been repeatedly criticized for failing to protect minorities.