Ozgur Halk
July 29, 1992, in Batman, Turkey

An unknown gunman shot Abayay, the Batman representative of the monthly Ozgur Halk, with a single bullet while he was on his way to work in the morning; he died the following day. According to accounts of a relative and colleagues in Diyarbakir, two gunmen and one "watcher," all in their late teens or early 20s, carried out the attack. Two or three yards from the place of the assassination, a large truck was parked lengthwise across the street, apparently to block the view of the killing and to prevent Abayay's escape. Abayay and a witness reportedly saw a white car of the type used by police just before the shooting. Abayay had received death threats at the office, the relative said, and police told an uncle while he was in police custody that they would kill his nephew. Journalists from Ozgur Halk charge that the police organized the killing.

Medium:Print
Job:Editor
Gender:Male
Local or Foreign:Local
Freelance:No
Type of Death:Murder
Suspected Source of Fire:Government Officials
Impunity:Yes
Taken Captive:No
Tortured:No
Threatened:Yes

 

Disclaimer: © Committee to Protect Journalists. All rights reserved. Articles may be reproduced only with permission from CPJ.

This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.