This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-41359369
The article has changed 3 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
Version 0 | Version 1 |
---|---|
Syrian activist and journalist daughter 'murdered' in Istanbul | Syrian activist and journalist daughter 'murdered' in Istanbul |
(about 7 hours later) | |
A prominent Syrian opposition activist and her journalist daughter have been found dead in Turkey, police say. | A prominent Syrian opposition activist and her journalist daughter have been found dead in Turkey, police say. |
The bodies of Orouba Barakat, 60, and her 22-year-old daughter Halla were discovered overnight in their apartment in Istanbul's central Uskudar district, after friends raised the alarm. | The bodies of Orouba Barakat, 60, and her 22-year-old daughter Halla were discovered overnight in their apartment in Istanbul's central Uskudar district, after friends raised the alarm. |
Orouba's sister, Shaza, said they had been stabbed to death. | Orouba's sister, Shaza, said they had been stabbed to death. |
In a post on Facebook, she also alleged the two women had been assassinated "by the hand of tyranny and injustice". | In a post on Facebook, she also alleged the two women had been assassinated "by the hand of tyranny and injustice". |
"Orouba wrote headlines for the front page, and she pursued criminals and exposed them. Her name and her daughter's name, Halla, are now in the front-page headlines," she added. | "Orouba wrote headlines for the front page, and she pursued criminals and exposed them. Her name and her daughter's name, Halla, are now in the front-page headlines," she added. |
Turkish media reported that Orouba had been investigating allegations of torture in prisons run by the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. | |
Halla was working as an editor for the pro-opposition website Orient News. | Halla was working as an editor for the pro-opposition website Orient News. |
Both women were also friends with US aid worker Kayla Mueller, who was kidnapped by so-called Islamic State in Syria in 2013 and died in captivity two years later. | |
In an interview with ABC News last year, they spoke about their work with Mueller aiding Syrian refugees, including mothers and children. | |
"Just saying Kayla's name in front of them, they smile," Orouba told the American news site. | |
"Orouba and Halla were like a mother and sister to Kayla. They never gave up on saving her," Mueller's parents said in a statement to ABC after the news of their deaths emerged. | |
Tributes have also been paid on social media, including one by fellow journalist and friend of Halla, Razan Saffour. | |
It is not the first time for tragedy to strike the family: a cousin - Deah Barakat - was shot dead alongside his wife and sister in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, in 2015. | |
The killings sparked international outrage, especially on social media where the hashtag #ChapelHillShooting was used hundreds of thousands of times. | |
Their neighbour, Craig Hicks, was charged with their killings. The family believe it was a hate crime targeting Muslims, but this was disputed by the US Attorney for North Carolina after initial investigations. A trial date has not yet been set. | |
Since the start of Syria's civil war six years ago, Turkey has become home to more than three million Syrian refugees, many of them opposition supporters. | Since the start of Syria's civil war six years ago, Turkey has become home to more than three million Syrian refugees, many of them opposition supporters. |
In 2015, three Syrian activists from Raqqa is Being Slaughtered Silently, an activist group that opposes so-called anti-Islamic State (IS), were murdered in Turkey. | In 2015, three Syrian activists from Raqqa is Being Slaughtered Silently, an activist group that opposes so-called anti-Islamic State (IS), were murdered in Turkey. |
A Syrian journalist who reported on the fight against IS was shot dead last year. | A Syrian journalist who reported on the fight against IS was shot dead last year. |