Mohamed Joune’s killing may be related to his Syrian political activities, say friends

This article is more than 1 year old

This article is more than 1 year old

A Syrian activist has died after a brutal attack in Hamburg, raising questions over whether he was targeted for political reasons.

Mohamed Joune, 48, collapsed on the street on Tuesday night after stumbling out of a building. He was bleeding from a severe head wound but still conscious when paramedics rushed him to hospital. He later died from his injuries.

Joune sustained multiple strikes to the head from what appeared to have been an axe, according to German media reports, which also said one of his fingers had been cut off.

Joune, a longtime resident in Germany, worked as a pharmacist and owned several properties in Harburg, a neighbourhood in the south of Hamburg. He ran a non-profit organisation called the Union of Syrians Abroad, which provided humanitarian aid to victims of the war in Syria.

The website of the organisation, founded in 2011, states its goal is “to alleviate the suffering of the Syrian people, especially women and children, both in Syria and in neighbouring countries”.

Kazim Abaci, a local Social Democratic party politician, who knew Joune, said: “He was not just engaged in humanitarian aid for Syria, but also supported the integration of refugees in Harburg.”

Joune’s involvement in the Syria-focused organisation and his opposition to the Syrian president, Bashar al-Assad, may have been the reason he was targeted, a friend told the German tabloid Bild.

“The likelihood is that Mohamed was killed for his political activities,” said the friend, who added that he had spoken with Joune earlier that day in his pharmacy.

The friend also noted that shortly before his death, Joune had discussed the possibility of holding a demonstration to mark the anniversary of the uprising against Assad in Syria.

Police are investigating the killing and said they are looking into all possibilities. On Thursday, officers discovered discarded clothes and shoes not far from where Joune was found, local media reported, although it is not known if they are related to the attack.