Syrian Journalist who reported on ISIS has been Killed in Turkey

Syrian journalist and filmmaker, Naji Jerf, who is known for exposing many of ISIS' atrocities, was killed in the southern Turkish city of Gaziantep this past Sunday.

According to friends of the journalist, Jerf was fatally shot twice in the head in broad daylight. No one has claimed responsibility for his death as of yet.

Jerf was best known for his film work that mainly detailed what ISIS was doing to people in Syria. His documentary on the media collective called the Raqqa is Being Slaughtered Silently (RBSS) had won the International Press Freedom Award in November. RBSS works to expose stories of human abuse in Syria, where ISIS is mainly based in. The terrorism group is also in Iraq.

He was also the editor-in-chief of the magazine called Hinta and had taught numerous journalists.

On Dec. 15, Jerf had uploaded a documentary on YouTube about the killings of numerous Syrian activists in Aleppo back in 2013 and 2014. The documentary was also broadcasted on TV.

Jerf and his family were planning to fly to France on Monday where they were seeking asylum. The New York Times reported that Jerf's friend and fellow Syrian activist, Aref Krez, had said that Jerf was fearful for his life as well as the safety of his family. He had reportedly received death threats from ISIS militants through Facebook and his cellphone.

"He was loved and respected by everyone," Krez said. "He had a kind heart and his door was wide open to everyone. He believed in the idea of citizen journalists and believed in what they did, so he dedicated his time to train them."

Jerf's colleague Firaz Kurtoğlu, also offered a few words on the journalist, reported by Cihan.
"He has been in Gaziantep for two years and working on the monthly Hinta Magazine. He covered issues that were against both ISIL and the [President Bassar al-Assad) Assad regime. He was an independent journalist and had no ties with any political movement. He had conflict with no one. His conscience was his sole guide."

Krez added that journalists no longer feel safe in Turkey.

Jerf is the latest activist to be killed. A little more than a week ago, RBSS member, Ahmad Mohammed al-Mousa, was killed in Syria. A co-founder of RBSS, Ibrahim Abdel Qader and activist Fare Hammadi were killed in Turkey back in October.

"Syrian journalists who have fled to Turkey for their safety are not safe at all," Sherif Mansour, the Middle East and North Africa program coordinator for the Committee to Protect Journalists, said in a statement. "We call on Turkish authorities to bring the killers of Naji Jerf to justice swiftly and transparently."

Turkish authorities stated that they have opened an investigation into the shooting.

RBSS believes that ISIS carried out the murder.

"We believe it was Isil [ISIS] that did this," Abu Ibrahim al-Raqqawi, a spokesman for the collective, told the Telegraph. "Either they thought Naji was one of our members, or they simply did it because they knew how much our guys loved him. Nowhere is safe for us now."

ISIS has previously captured and executed a member of RBSS. In 2014, they killed one of the founding members, Moataz Billah, publicly in Raqqa.