British media charity worker found dead at Istanbul airport

LONDON — British woman working for a London-based media charity who was heading to Iraq has been found dead at Istanbul's Ataturk airport, her organisation said on Monday.

"We at the Institute for War and Peace Reporting [IWPR] are devastated to announce the death of our country director in Iraq, Jacky Sutton," said the group, which supports and trains local reporters in conflict zones.

The 50-year-old was found dead on October 17 after flying in from London en route to her base in Arbil in the Kurdish region of Iraq.

IWPR said it was still trying "establish the facts" surrounding her death, but British press reports said she was found hanged in the toilets.

Turkish media said she had become distressed after missing a connecting flight and having no money to buy a new ticket.

Friends and colleagues paid tribute to Sutton, and were quick to dismiss suggestions she had killed herself.

Iraq's parliament speaker Salim Al Juburi "called on the Turkish authorities to uncover the circumstances of the incident," a statement from his office said.

The statement said "she passed away in mysterious circumstances in a Turkish airport on her way to Iraq, which she was planning to visit to help the country.”

During her career, Sutton worked with humanitarian organisations, the United Nations and as a producer for the BBC. 

Britain’s foreign office confirmed the death of a British national in Istanbul and said it was providing consular support to Sutton’s family.