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Journalists Killed in 1999 - Motive Confirmed: Ahmet Taner Kislali

Cumhuriyet
October 21, 1999, in Ankara, Turkey

Kislali, a regular columnist for the daily Cumhuriyet, was killed in a bomb attack in front of his suburban home in the capital, Ankara. He was pronounced dead on arrival at a local hospital after reportedly sustaining shrapnel wounds to his face and chest. His left arm was also torn off. Press reports, citing Turkish officials, said that the bomb was wrapped in newspaper and placed on the windshield of Kislali's car. When Kislali attempted to remove the package, it exploded.

While the identity of the perpetrators is unclear, Turkish security officials have been quoted as saying that the Great Eastern Islamic Raiders' Front, an extremist, underground Islamist group, claimed responsibility for the killing of Kislali, who was a staunch secularist and critic of the Islamist movement in Turkey. These reports, however, have not been verified.

In addition to his work at Cumhuriyet, Kislali taught political science at Ankara University. He served as culture minister in the late 1970s and had also been a member of Parliament.

Topics: Freedom of expression,