Russia’s ambassador to Turkey Andrei Karlov was invited to deliver a speech at an art exhibition in

Ankara in December 2016. When he went to the podium to speak, he was shot several times.

After the shooting, the terrorist who committed the crime shouted: “Do not forget Aleppo, do not forget
Syria.”

The assassination shocked the world. It was the first terrorist act against a Russian diplomat since 1927.

Associated Press photographer Burhan Ozbilici captured this historic moment. While everyone was
fleeing in panic and despite the obvious risk to his own life, he captured the moment on camera.

The photographer describes the moments after gunshots were fired: “I was scared but an inner voice
told me I had a responsibility to document this historical moment.”

The photo was seen 18 million times on Facebook. It won the World Press Photo of the Year award in
2017.

The photo and its worldwide admiration highlighted the importance of the art of photography more
than ever and the courage that a photographer should have.