Brussels, 19/04/2007 (Agence Europe) - On Thursday, the European Commission responded with outrage and horror at the murder of three Christian employees (two Turks and one German) working for a publisher that publishes bibles in Malatya, Turkey but at this stage categorically dismisses any link between this tragedy and accession negotiations with the country. A spokesperson informed the press on Thursday that Commissioner Olli Rehn “strongly condemns this brutal assassination” and is hoping that the perpetrators of the crime are brought to justice. The spokesperson said that this was a “criminal act”, which had strongly been condemned by representatives - the prime minister, and the minister for foreign affairs - of the Turkish government, and had to be seen in this context. Nonetheless, she did explain that, “independently of what happened Wednesday in Turkey, any candidate country has to respect fundamental freedoms, such as freedom of religion”. In its regular reports, the Commission annually assesses the state of fundamental freedoms in different candidate countries, including Turkey, she added. In its 2006 report on Turkey, dated 8 November last, the Commission notes that freedom of religion “generally continues to be respected”. The Commission, however, regretted that certain personal documents in Turkey still include information about religion, “which leaves the door open to possible discriminatory practices”. She also criticised the fact that non-Muslim religious communities did not have access to a legal personality and continued to suffer from restrictions on their property rights, which created significant difficulties in the management of their foundations. (hb)