Journalist Ahmet Taner Kislali killed in Turkey

VIENNA, 22 October 1999 - With great sadness Freimut Duve, the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, learned of the murder of Ahmet Taner Kislali, a prominent Turkish journalist and former Minister of Culture. He was a columnist for the daily Cumhuriyet and died from injuries sustained in a bomb blast.

Recently, Kislali wrote against certain Moslem sect leaders who said the August earthquake in Turkey was divine retribution for the official clampdown on Islamic activism. Previously, journalists from Cumhuriyet often received death threats for their criticism of Islamic groups.

The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media encourages the Turkey authorities to conduct a thorough investigation of this hideous crime and to bring the perpetrators to justice. This ultimate form of censorship - censorship by killing - should not be allowed to flourish in any country, including Turkey.

The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media extends his condolences to the family and friends of Ahmet Taner Kislali.