Sister of journalist found dead in SE Turkey

Rojvelat Kızmaz

Rojvelat Kızmaz, the sister of journalist Mehmet Kızmaz who was reported missing on Friday, has been found dead in a dam in southeast Turkey, the Artı Gerçek news website reported.

The journalist accused the authorities of being too slow in launching search and rescue efforts for his sister despite their best efforts to provide tips on where she could be.

He also said a search vessel was not deployed to Ilısu Dam until the family found her clothes on the shore.

A local governor’s office released a statement which said that search and rescue efforts involved diving teams and drone surveillance and that an investigation has been launched into the incident.

Reports in the Turkish media also pointed out that Kızmaz was a close friend of Gülistan Doku, a young Kurdish woman who went missing in January 2020.

Doku remains unaccounted for in the fifth year since her disappearance, which was not effectively investigated by the authorities, according to lawyer Ali Çimen, who represented her family.

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