Slain Press TV journalist laid to rest in western Syria

Press TV correspondent in Syria, Maya Naser, is laid to rest near the country’s western city of Homs after a funeral ceremony attended by the Syrian Army personnel.

“They killed you because they are scared of your words and the truth,” Naser’s father said while mourning the loss of his son during a funeral ceremony on Thursday.

Naser was hit by a sniper on Wednesday morning while reporting live. He was accompanied with Press TV and Al-Alam Damascus bureaus chief Hosein Mortada, who was also injured in the attack.

The two were covering twin bomb blasts, which targeted the military command building in the Syrian capital and killed at least four Syrian security forces.

The assassination of the 33-year-old journalist has drawn strong international condemnation with Reporters Without Borders condemning the murder.

Speaking in New York, the Iranian president expressed his sincere condolences over the death of the Press TV correspondent and called on everyone to respect the sanctity of reporters.

He said that reporting is a very important tool which sheds light on realities and informs the international community about events that happen in faraway places.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry Spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast on Wednesday strongly condemned the latest terrorist attacks in Syria, which led to Naser’s death.

“The mass media are working in the most difficult circumstances to reflect the realities and truth to the public opinion, and recourse to violence and terrorism can never prevent Syria’s realities from being revealed to people,” he said.

Born on July 30, 1979 in Syria, Maya Naser had studied political science, was fluent in Arabic and English and had worked in many countries including the US, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt and Bahrain.