"İpekçi's Murder Case not Closed for Turkish Journalists"

Turkish journalist Abdi İpekçi was killed on 1 February 1979. On the 31^st anniversary of his death, the International Press Institute (IPI) declared that the imprisonment of Mehmet Ali Ağca at the time did not mean that the murder case has been solved yet.

Milliyet newspaper publishing director İpekçi was killed in 1979 in front of his house in Nişantaşı, Istanbul. His murderer Ağca was released from the Ankara Sincan prison on 18 January this year.

After the murder of İpekçi in 1979, Ağca was imprisoned in Maltepe Prison from where he escaped to Bulgaria. Forces behind the murder remain in dark until today. From Bulgaria, ex-convict Ağca went to Italy where he was involved in an assassination attempt targeting Pope John Paul II.

Tınç: For us the İpekçi case is still not solved

In reference to the IPI Unsolved Murders Campaign initiated against journalist murder cases closed on prescription and unjust detentions of journalists, IPI Board Member Ferai Tınç stated, "We, as Turkish journalists, see the İpekçi murder as an unsolved case".

Column writer for Hürriyet newspaper and IPI Turkey National Committee chairman Tınç announced: "After Ağca's release from prison we call for the İpekçi case not to be closed. We want a proper investigation to be carried out in order to find answers to all those questions left in the dark".

In March last year, a judge ruled that the statue of limitations barred the case. Nevertheless, a large number of journalists in Turkey believe that Ipekçi's case has not been solved since it has never been brought to light who collaborated with triggerman Ağca and who assisted him later on to escape from prison.

İpekçi was former vice-president of IPI

Journalist İpekçi was elected to the IPI board in 1964. In 1971, he became vice-president. Before his death, he was working on the preparation of an international conference with the topic of "Political edges". In his professional life, he sought to build a bridge between Turkish and Greek journalists and was devoted to national unity, mediating and anti-terror dialogue.

Prime Minister of the time Bülent Ecevit said after the death of his close friend İpekçi: "The bullet that killed him was aimed at the democracy and constitutional order of Turkey". IPI Director David Dadge claims, "The Turkish government owes it to Abdi İpekçi and to all journalists to bring his murderers to justice".

For his commitment to democratic rights and freedoms, İpekçi was rewarded the IPI World Press Freedom Award for Heroes in 2000. (EÖ/VK)