Russian ambassador’s murder was ‘human reaction to Moscow’s barbarism’ – Qatari journalist

A prominent Qatari journalist says the killing of the Russian ambassador to Turkey was a “human reaction” to what she alleges to be Moscow’s “barbarism” in war-torn Syria. Dr. Elham Bader added that Russia “deserves the worst.”

EDITOR'S NOTE: The previous version of this report referred to Dr Badar as a board member of Al Jazeera, while in fact, she has not served on the Qatar based media network board since 2007.

Andrey Karlov, 62, was fatally shot by an assailant who shouted “Don’t forget Syria! Don’t forget Aleppo! ...Until our towns are safe, you won’t enjoy security either. Everyone who is involved in this will pay a price. Only death can take me from here.”

The attacker, identified as 22-year-old Mevlut Altintas, who was a member of the police’s special forces, was killed at the scene.

While many took to social media to express their condolences to Karlov and his family, prominent Qatari journalist and a former Al Jazeera board member Dr. Elham Bader did just the opposite.

Bader posted more than two dozen messages about the attack, one of which said the murder had been a “human reaction” against Russian “barbarism” in Syria.

Another said that Russia “deserves the worst” for the role it is playing in Syria’s ongoing civil war.

Russia joined the campaign against terrorists in Syria in 2015, at the request of Damascus. Since then, Moscow has been involved in a number of key milestones, including the liberation of Palmyra. It has also provided humanitarian assistance for civilians and co-brokered a deal between the Syrian government and opposition that allows for the evacuation of militants and their families from eastern Aleppo, in exchange for safe-passage for civilians trapped in the pro-government villages of al-Foua and Kafraya that are under siege by rebels in the north. 

Russia has repeatedly denied accusations made by Western governments and other critics that allege it has bombed civilian targets in Syria, noting that no convincing evidence has ever been produced to substantiate those claims.