Turkish photographer Burhan Ozbilici captured the moment the Russian ambassador to Turkey was assassinated, winning the World press photo 2017 photography competition.
Mevlüt Mert Altintaş, a twenty-two-year-old off-duty police officer, has just assassinated the Russian ambassador to Turkey, Andrey Karlov. It is 19 December 2016, and the opening of an art exhibition in the Turkish capital Ankara turns into the setting of a political murder. The shot was taken by Burhan Ozbilici, a Turkish photographer for the Associated Press agency. The slain ambassador's glasses and his lifeless, faceless body are visible in the background. In the foreground, the assassin's enraged expression, the murder weapon still in his hand. It could look like a scene from a political thriller — but it is the dramatic, real moment captured by Ozbilici.
Every year for the past 60 years, the World press photo of the year has recognised photographers who have succeeded in capturing the most journalistically significant events and stories of the previous year — both through single images and through photo stories. The announcement of the winning photos of the 2017 edition took place on 13 February in Amsterdam, capital of the Netherlands, where the eponymous foundation that organises one of the world's leading photography competitions is based. The jury for the 2017 edition, composed of internationally acclaimed photojournalists and documentary photographers, was chaired by Stuart Franklin of the Magnum Photos agency.
"The photo of the year is an explosive photo that expresses the hatred that defines our times," commented Mary Calvert, a member of the jury. "This man had clearly reached his limit and his way of expressing it was to assassinate someone who represents a country he holds responsible for what is happening in the region," jury member João Silva contextualises the violent and desperate act of the attacker: "This is the face of hatred".
Among the other photographs, we highlight the winner in the Nature category: Caretta Caretta Trapped by Francis Pérez , which shows a sea turtle trapped in a fishing net off the coast of Tenerife, in the Canary Islands, Spain. The conservation status of this species is considered vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (Iucn).
Overall winner Ozbilici was awarded a prize of 10,000 euros and a selection of Canon photographic equipment. The 2017 edition saw the participation of 80,408 shots submitted by 5,034 photographers from 125 nationalities. The winners across the various categories came from 45 countries, representing 25 nations. The awards ceremony took place between 20 and 22 April in Amsterdam, the city that also hosts the first exhibition of this year's winning photographs, opening on 14 April. The images, which are seen on average by more than 4 million people every year, will then travel the world, visiting 45 countries.