Contact: Kevin Fahey, The Institute on Religion and Public Policy, 202-835-8760, Fahey@religionandpolicy.org

WASHINGTON, April 18 /Christian Newswire/ -- The Institute on Religion and Public Policy decries the killing of four Christian publishing house employees in Malatya, Turkey on Wednesday. The publishing house, Zirve, was a prominent source for printing and distributing Bibles in Turkish.

Three of victims' throats were slit, including that of the publishing house owner, while the fourth victim died after jumping from a third floor window in an attempt to escape the assailants. Ultra-nationalist groups, who reportedly made previous threats against the company, are suspected in the early stages of the investigation.

Responding to the vicious slayings, Joseph K. Grieboski, President of the Institute on Religion and Public Policy stated, "These atrocious murders are evidence that religious intolerance continues to rise in Turkey. While one can discount this horrific incident as a singular event, one cannot ignore the repeated attacks against members of minority religious communities in Turkey. The Government of Turkey has a responsibility to each of its citizens regardless of religious identity to provide security, protection, and, in the event of acts such as this, effective and objective investigation and pursuit of justice."