Father, brother of Kobani prison fire victim: 'No one would have died if the doors had opened'

Rastinews — Müslüm Sabit, brother of 21-year-old Mahmud Sabit, was also in the prison when the fire broke out. Held in the ward across from where the fire started, Müslüm Sabit said he was injured near his brother and tried to save him.

"They wanted to take us to Aleppo"

Müslüm Sabit said the unrest began after prison authorities tried to transfer detainees to Aleppo.

"They wanted to take us to Aleppo. We said we wouldn't go. We said we would resist like Mazlum Doğan and Kemal Pir. We said, if necessary, give us weapons and we'll fight them. When they tried to take us to Aleppo, this resistance began."

Sabit said Syrian security forces then entered the prison and detainees were told they would be handed over. He described what happened:

"Syria's general security forces came inside. After they left, we told the prison administration not to hand us over. They told us, 'We have no choice, we're going to hand you over.' So we set fire to belongings inside the prison."

"An official named Ismail told us: set your own bodies on fire, one by one"

Müslüm Sabit said prison staff tried to stop them from lighting fires, but the detainees refused to back down.

"They tried to stop us from lighting fires, but we were determined and refused to give in. There was an official there named Ismail. He said, 'Why are you burning belongings? Set your own bodies on fire, one by one.' That was said to us by a prison official named Ismail."

Sabit said eight detainees were taken to Aleppo that same night, all of them from Kobani.

"They took eight people to Aleppo. All of them were Kurds from Kobani. The Kurds who were taken were young protesters detained during demonstrations held that night."

"Every time we broke down a door, they locked it again"

Müslüm Sabit said detainees tried to escape as the fire spread, but the doors were locked again each time.

"When the prison caught fire, they didn't open the doors. The flames engulfed the whole prison. We broke down doors to escape. That's how we tried to get out. But every time we tried, they locked the doors on us again."

Sabit said that as the fire grew and smoke filled the prison, detainees struggled to breathe.

"Later, once the whole prison was engulfed in flames and smoke was rising, they told us to move to a place where we could breathe."

"We got out by kicking down doors and climbing over walls"

Sabit said Syrian security forces who arrived at the prison beat anyone who came outside, forcing some detainees back inside.

"Then the general security forces arrived. They started beating with batons everyone who came out. So we had no choice but to go back into the prison. It was a heavy-handed intervention."

Sabit said the fire spread to other wards, and some detainees set fire to their own wards as well.

"While all this was happening, detainees in one ward set fire to their own ward. They locked the doors on us again after that. We were left without air. They even cut the electricity. They wanted us to stay in the fire."

Sabit said they tried to save themselves by climbing walls and breaking down doors:

"We climbed over walls, kicked doors, broke them open, and that's how we saved ourselves. But those who were left behind us stayed in the flames. Because the fire grew huge and spread through the whole prison. Many people passed out from the smoke."

"I carried my brother on my back, I wanted to take him to the hospital"

Müslüm Sabit said that after he got out of the prison, he learned his brother Mahmud was still inside and began searching for him.

"After I got out, I learned my brother was still inside. I searched for him in many places. I went up to the floor above, they told me he wasn't there. I went down and searched for him. People in the flames told me he had gone outside. But when I went outside, I found out he wasn't there."

Sabit said he later found Mahmud inside the prison and wanted to take him to the hospital, but was not allowed to.

"I saw him in front of the door, badly burned, and I picked him up. I wanted to take him to the hospital, but they told us, 'No, you won't take him to the hospital, let them die.'"

Müslüm Sabit said these words were spoken by prison officials named Hıdır and Ismail.

"The people from the prison administration who said this to us were Hıdır and Ismail."

"My brother died while I was carrying him on my back"

Müslüm Sabit said he put his badly injured brother on his back and tried to rush him to the hospital.

"I carried my brother on my back. After a while, I noticed his voice had stopped. I shouted 'Martyrs never die' so they would let us through, and I tried to get out by pushing past them."

His brother, describing Mahmud's severe burns, recounted his condition:

"His whole body was covered in burns. He couldn't speak. Pieces of flesh stuck to me. About 20 meters from the hospital, the hand holding mine went limp and fell, and that's when I understood he had been martyred."

"Hıdır, Ismail and Bilal must answer for this"

Sabit argued that the prison administration failed to take necessary action during the fire.

"If they had let us out earlier, if they hadn't locked the doors on us, nothing would have happened to anyone."

Müslüm Sabit said the prison administration was responsible for what happened and that the officials he named must be held accountable.

"There must be accountability. The guards on duty at the prison gate, the prison administration, and especially the officials named Hıdır, Ismail and Bilal must answer for this."

Sabit called for a full investigation into every aspect of the incident.

Mahmud's dream was to get married

Müslüm Sabit said his brother Mahmud was 21 years old and had dreamed of getting married and building a life after his release.

"The last time we spoke, at his court hearing before he died, Mahmud told me about his dreams. He said once we get out of court, let's get married, let's build a life for ourselves. But after that, he was martyred in prison like this. He was 21 years old."

Mahmud's father: "We want justice"

Mahmud's father, Sabit, also joined Nalin Hesen's news bulletin on Rudaw TV and called for accountability over his son's death.

Struggling to speak and unable to hold back tears, Sabit said, "We want justice, we don't want anything else. If they don't give us justice, we will get it ourselves. I'm telling you plainly, you must expose this injustice.

"How can you lock the doors and refuse to open them while people burn alive in front of your eyes?"

My son died for no reason. How can you lock the doors and not open them while someone burns alive right in front of your eyes!" he had said.

The grieving father said detainees weren't even given water during the fire, saying, "They didn't give even a sip of water. Those who did this are worse than infidels. Even an infidel wouldn't do this!"

Mahmud's brother said they would seek justice from day one: "We will seek our rights. We will demand accountability on this to the very end. May those who scorched our hearts have their own hearts scorched! We want justice," he had said.

Sabit said, finally, that they would pursue every legal avenue, appealing: "I say clearly here, we want justice. If you don't give us justice, we will take it ourselves, we will pursue every legal channel. You caused the deaths of nearly 30 people, for no reason. What was the reason? Please seek justice for us, help us."