The Committee to Protect Journalists is calling for an independent investigation into the killing of an American freelance journalist in South Sudan.
In a separate statement to The Associated Press, the parents of 26-year-old Christopher Allen say they are devastated and say their son “passionately sought the truth from every perspective.”
Allen was shot dead over the weekend in fighting between government forces and rebels.
South Sudan’s government says there was no indication Allen was a journalist and that he entered the country illegally. The opposition says Allen was embedded with its fighters and was targeted when government troops saw him taking photos.
The Committee to Protect Journalists says it is “deeply troubled” by South Sudan’s comments and wants those responsible for Allen’s death to be “held to account.”