The family of a British journalist who was found dead at an airport in Turkey have said they believe no one else was involved in her death.
Jacqueline Sutton, 50, who was the acting Iraq director for the Institute for War and Peace Reporting (IWPR), was found dead at Istanbul’s Ataturk airport overnight on October 17-18. She had flown from London to take an onward flight to her base in Erbil in the Kurdish region of Iraq.
Initial reports indicated she had taken her own life, but her family and friends were sceptical. But a statement issued by her family and IWPR said they had reached a preliminary conclusion that she acted alone.
“Based on an extensive review of the information provided by Turkish authorities, the family of Jacky Sutton and IWPR have reached the preliminary conclusion that no other parties were involved in her death,” said the statement.
Sutton’s sister, Jenny, added: “The family is satisfied with the investigation undertaken by the Turkish authorities. We were deeply sceptical about initial reports. But based on the evidence we have seen, at this stage we believe that Jacky acted alone.”
IWPR and Sutton’s family said they had reached their preliminary conclusion based on comprehensive CCTV footage with no apparent time gaps, still photographs, witness statements, a viewing of the body by her sister and a site visit by IWPR.
The evidence indicated that Sutton was alone and that there was no sign of struggle. She had had two credit cards and a large amount of cash with her, and there was no indication of theft or of any missing belongings.
IWPR said the Turkish authorities had cooperated fully and provided access to the complete dossier of evidence relating to the case, including copies of the CCTV images and all documentation.
IWPR and Sutton’s family said they would be seeking a further assessment from an independent investigative expert to confirm the findings once the Turkish investigation was complete.
Sutton had been studying for a PhD at the Centre for Arab and Islamic Studies at the Australian National University.
Immediately after the announcement of her death, the director of the centre, Professor Amin Saikal, said staff at the university were “deeply saddened and shocked by the tragic death of one of its brilliant PhD students”.
• In the UK, the Samaritans can be contacted for free on 116 123. In the US, the National Suicide Prevention Hotline is 1-800-273-8255. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is on 13 11 14. Hotlines in other countries can be found here.
