Turkey Mum on Death of Press TV Reporter
BEIRUT (Dispatches) -- A Lebanese-American journalist covering the Syrian conflict for Iran’s Press TV was killed in a car accident in Turkey, which her family and employers say was premeditated by the Turkish authorities, the station said Monday.
"Serene Shim was killed on Sunday as she was in Turkey on a mission on the Turkish side of the border across from Syria’s strategic town of Kobani to cover the ongoing war there between the ISIL terrorists and Kurdish fighters,” a Press TV report said.
Shim was returning to her hotel from reporting in the Turkish city of Suruç when the car she was traveling in collided with a heavy vehicle. The identity and whereabouts of the truck driver remain unknown, the report added.
A Press TV reporter in Beirut said the station was skeptical about the reported circumstances of Shim’s death, because she arrived in Turkey almost 10 days ago and had been closely monitored by Turkish intelligence.
"She told us in an earlier message that intelligence people visited the hotel where she was staying to collect information about her background and to keep a close eye on her,” Ali Rizk told The Daily Star.
"Moreover, the truck driver who collided with her car has disappeared, and we are not aware that the Turkish authorities are investigating the accident, or searching for the driver. All these facts made the station question Serene’s death,” Rizk added.
Shim had told the station Friday that the Turkish intelligence agency accused her of spying and that she feared being arrested, the TV report said.
Members of Shim’s family said they did not believe she died in a normal accident in Turkey and that they would pursue the matter legally, the station reported.
Press TV News Director Hamid Reza Emadi called on the Turkish government "to find out exactly what happened” to Serena, describing the accident as "suspicious”, the report said.
Shim, a mother of two, worked for Press TV in Lebanon, Iraq, and Ukraine.
Shim was returning to her hotel from reporting in the Turkish city of Suruç when the car she was traveling in collided with a heavy vehicle. The identity and whereabouts of the truck driver remain unknown, the report added.
A Press TV reporter in Beirut said the station was skeptical about the reported circumstances of Shim’s death, because she arrived in Turkey almost 10 days ago and had been closely monitored by Turkish intelligence.
"She told us in an earlier message that intelligence people visited the hotel where she was staying to collect information about her background and to keep a close eye on her,” Ali Rizk told The Daily Star.
"Moreover, the truck driver who collided with her car has disappeared, and we are not aware that the Turkish authorities are investigating the accident, or searching for the driver. All these facts made the station question Serene’s death,” Rizk added.
Shim had told the station Friday that the Turkish intelligence agency accused her of spying and that she feared being arrested, the TV report said.
Members of Shim’s family said they did not believe she died in a normal accident in Turkey and that they would pursue the matter legally, the station reported.
Press TV News Director Hamid Reza Emadi called on the Turkish government "to find out exactly what happened” to Serena, describing the accident as "suspicious”, the report said.
Shim, a mother of two, worked for Press TV in Lebanon, Iraq, and Ukraine.