Turkish court arrests man over murder of Syrian activist, journalist daughter

ISTANBUL

A Turkish court has ruled for the arrest of a man over the murder of prominent Syrian opposition activist Orouba Barakat, 60, and her journalist daughter, Halla Barakat, in Istanbul on Oct. 6.

The mother and her daughter were found murdered in their home in Istanbul’s Üsküdar district on the night of Sept. 21.

Ahmet Barakat was detained in the northwestern province of Bursa on Sept. 30 after police inspected hundreds of hours of security camera footage.

Barakat, who is a relative of the victims, reportedly admitted killing the Syrian mother and daughter and was arrested over “intentional killing” on Oct. 6.

The bodies of Halla Barakat, 22, and Orouba Barakat were discovered when Halla Barakat’s friends came to their house after not being able to reach the 22-year-old. After no one answered the door, they notified the police about the situation, who had the door opened with the help of a locksmith. Police homicide teams then found the dead bodies of the Syrian activist along with her daughter.

After inspections, the police determined the two women were stabbed to death about two or three days ago, and their throats showed traces of being strangled.

Orouba Barakat was a well-known figure, especially for her articles on Syrian opposition figures exposed to torture in the country’s notorious prisons run by the Bashar al-Assad regime. She reportedly first fled to the U.K., then Saudi Arabia and finally to Istanbul after the civil war broke out in Syria.

Her daughter was reportedly working as an editor for Orient News, a Syrian media group owned by Syrian businessman, journalist and opposition figure Ghassan Aboud, based in Dubai.