FOUR KILLED, THREE WITH THEIR THROATS CUT, AT BIBLE PUBLISHING HOUSE
by Mavi Zambak

AsiaNews.it, Italy
April 18 2007

Zirve, a publishing house in Malatya, is attacked. It had received
threats for some time. Ultra-nationalist groups are suspected.

Ankara (AsiaNews) – Assailants killed four people late Wednesday
morning at the offices of Zirve, a Christian publishing house that
distributed Bibles in the city of Malatya, Hurriyet online reported.

Three of the four victims had their throats cut, one of them Zirve’s
owner. The fourth victim died after jumping from the third floor
where he was working in order to escape.

Still under shock, Zirve’s general manager Hamza Ozant was on his way
to the publishing house’s offices but was able to tell a TV network
that his company had been receiving threats. Started a year ago, it
had already requested police protection for its employees. One reason
is that many people in Turkey resent the publication and distribution
of Bibles in Turkish.

Although Mr Ozant said he could not say who made the threats,
suspicions fall on Turkish ultra-nationalists, especially since the
murder of Turkish Armenian journalist Dink Hrant.

Coincidentally, both Mr Hrant and Mehmet Ali Agca, the man who shot
Pope John Paul II in 1981, were born in Malatya.

A police investigation is underway to find the culprits of such
barbarous act.

Zirve is probably a Protestant publishing house since Protestants
are the only ones who distribute Christian texts in the country.

Catholics also rely on them to have their own material printed.