From the Liveblog of
Wednesday, October 23, 2019
Syrian Kurdish man sets himself on fire outside UN refugee agency in Geneva
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleA Syrian Kurdish man set himself on fire outside the headquarters of the United Nations refugee agency earlier today and is receiving treatment for his injuries, police tell AFP.
The 31-year-old German resident did not provide any explanation for his actions, according to Geneva police spokesman Silvain Guillaume-Gentil.
“We can imagine his reasons, but we do not have anything concrete,” Guillaume-Gentil says. “He had a hard time expressing himself when help arrived.”
Kurds have organized a series of demonstrations to protest the assault that Turkey launched on October 9 against Kurdish fighters in northeastern Syria.
Syrian Kurd from Germany who set light to himself outside UNHCR in Geneva helicoptered to Geneva University Hospital pic.twitter.com/Gbzr2zB0Ih
— Simon Bradley (@sibradley1) October 23, 2019
The incident occurred shortly before 8:00 am (0600 GMT) outside UNHCR, which is across the street from the Palais des Nations, the UN’s European headquarters.
Responders arrived quickly and the injured man was transported by helicopter to a hospital in Lausanne, where he was being treated for his injuries, police say.
— AFP
The Times of Israel Community.