RSF condemns latest attempt to murder Syrian journalist in Turkey

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) calls on the Turkish authorities to do everything possible to locate those responsible for a second attempt on Syrian journalist Ahmed Abdelqader’s life in southeastern Turkey and to bring them to justice.

The group Islamic State is said to claim responsibility for this latest attack on Abdelqader, in which he was shot several times by men on a motorcycle using a gun with a silencer in the southeastern city of Urfa on the evening of 12 June. He is now hospitalized and said to be in a stable condition.

Aged 33, he is the founder and editor of the online newspaper Ayn ala al-Watan (“Eye on Homeland”).

The modus operandi of Abdelqader’s would-be killers was similar to that used in the murders of two other Syrian journalists in the Turkish city of Gaziantep – reporter Naji Jerf in December 2015 and TV host Mohamed Zaher Al Sherqat in April 2016. Both were staunch opponents of Islamic State.

“We condemn this appalling act and ask the Turkish authorities to adopt measures to ensure the safety of Abdelqader and other Syrian journalists in Turkey,” said Alexandra El Khazen, the head of RSF’s Middle East desk.

“This was not the first shooting attack on Syrian journalists who have sought refuge in Turkey but it was nonetheless a shock for those still there, who fear more and more for their safety. The Turkish authorities must bring those responsible to justice.”

According to sources close to Abdelqader, he was out shopping when his attackers struck. Injured in the head, he was taken to a hospital in Urfa and is now placed in intensive care.

Formely a member of the campaign Raqqa Is Being Slaughtered Silently (RBSS), Abdelqader was previously the target of an attack by two individuals outside his home in March. He told RSF after this earlier murder attempt that he had received many threats and intimidatory messages but did not intend to stop working as a journalist.

Islamic State claimed the latest attack via its news agency Aamaq, which said members of the group had fired on Abdelqader. Abdelqader’s newspaper, Ayn ala al-Watan, which covers events in Syria, is clearly opposed to Islamic State.

His 20-year-old brother Ibrahim Abdelqader was murdered in Urfa on 30 October 2015 together with a friend, Fares Hammadi. That double murder was also blamed on Islamic State.

Turkey is ranked 141st out of 180 countries in RSF’s 2016 World Press Freedom Index. Syria is ranked 177th.