A veteran Syrian opposition activist and her journalist daughter were found stabbed to death at their apartment in Istanbul, Turkish media reported Friday, in a crime supporters claimed was an “assassination” to avenge their work. Friends raised the alarm after being unable to reach Aroubeh Barakat and her daughter Halla Barakat by telephone for two days, the Dogan and Anadolu news agencies said. The killings unleashed a wave of shock and mourning among the exiled Syrian opposition, whose National Coalition grouping is based in Istanbul. “The hand of terrorism and tyranny is the prime suspect in this heinous crime of assassination,” the National Coalition said in a statement. The Yeni Safak daily said Aroubeh Barakat had carried out investigations into alleged torture in prisons run by the Assad regime.

Source: Dhaka Tribune September 23, 2017 07:18 UTC