Halla Barakat was a Syrian-American journalist and editor for Orient News, a Syrian opposition media outlet based in Istanbul, who, along with her mother Dr. Orouba Barakat, was found murdered in their apartment in Istanbul on 21 September 2017. Both had been fatally stabbed, and their bodies were discovered after several days when friends and colleagues became concerned about their whereabouts. Halla, aged 22, had previously studied in the United States and had been active in documenting the Syrian conflict, contributing to various media outlets, including TRT World and ABC News. She and her mother had received threats from supporters of the Syrian regime, warning them to cease their activism. The Turkish authorities arrested a distant relative, Ahmed Barakat, who confessed to the murders, stating that he killed Dr. Orouba over financial disputes and then murdered Halla to eliminate a witness. However, some observers have questioned the thoroughness of the investigation and the possibility of other motives behind the killings. Human rights organizations have condemned the murders as politically motivated and part of a broader pattern of violence against Syrian journalists in exile.