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| Turkey: Hrant Dink |
>> BREAKING NEWS: January 19, 2007
PEN Alarmed by Murder of Armenian-Turkish Journalist
Professional background
Hrant Dink is editor-in-chief of the Armenian-Turkish weekly newspaper Agos, a paper that seeks to provide a voice to the Armenian community and create a dialogue between Turks and Armenians. He is also a well-known commentator on Armenian affairs. Dink studied zoology and philosophy at Istanbul University where he became involved with Turkish leftist groups. He was jailed several times for his participation in this movement, and has since been involved with a number of civil society organizations.
Case history
In 2001, the Turkish government suspended publication of Agos when Dink wrote that “the laws [on the genocide] will cease to be a problem when Turkey shows consideration for the pain created by 24 April.” While the government brought legal action against Dink, he was found innocent and was permitted to resume printing Agos.
On February 13, 2004 Dink published an article entitled “Get to Know Armenia,” which discussed the modern day impact of the 1915-1917 Armenian massacres and urged Armenians to reject “the adulterated part of their Turkish blood.” Dink explained that he was writing a series of articles focusing on the Armenian Diaspora, and that the article was intended as a plea to Armenians to resolve their anger towards the Turks. However, the Turkish government interpreted this comment as an insult to Turkish blood, and Dink was consequently brought to trial for the article. On October 7, 2005 the Şişli Court of Second Instance in Istanbul handed Dink a six-month suspended sentence. Dink appealed the sentence and issued a protest, saying that “as long as I live [in Turkey], I will go on telling the truth, just as I always have.”
Following the October 7 sentencing, Hrant Dink was placed on trial for remarks that he made at a conference in 2002 that were deemed in violation of Article 301 of the Turkish Penal Code- “insult[ing] to the Turkish state.” According to Dink, the charges stem from remarks he made that criticized a patriotic verse Armenian school children are forced to memorize. He said that the lines “I am a Turk, I am honest, I am hardworking” were objectionable because “even though [he] was honest and hardworking, [he was not a Turk, [he] was an Armenian.” In addition, Dink was also critical of a verse in the national anthem that he felt was discriminatory for referring to the Turks as “a heroic race.” Dink was acquitted on February 9, 2006, although he still faced further charges of trying to influence the courts.
Current status
On July 12, 2006, Dink was handed a six-month suspended sentence for insulting Turkishness after writing an article which called for Armenians to “now turn their attention to the new life offered by an independent Armenia.” A week later, on July 19, the Istanbul Public Prosecutor opened a new case against Dink for referring to the 1915 massacre of Armenians as a ‘genocide’ during a July 14 interview with Reuters. Dink is currently awaiting his next trial for these charges.
PEN is seriously concerned about the sentencing and current trial of Hrant Dink, apparently solely for peacefully exercising his right to freedom of expression and association. PEN is calling for all charges against him to be immediately and unconditionally dropped.
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