Hrant Dink assassination
Encyclopedia
Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink
was assassinated in Istanbul
on January 19, 2007. Dink was a newspaper editor who had written and spoken about the Armenian genocide
. He had been under prosecution by the Turkish government for violating Article 301 of the Turkish Penal Code and denigrating Turkishness. His death sparked international outrage.
In his final Agos column on January 10, 2007, Dink noted that propaganda targeting him led many Turkish citizens to consider him an enemy of Turkey:
He also complained of the indifference of Turkish authorities to his security:
Despite his complaints, Dink never formally requested protection from the authorities because he did not want to lead a sheltered life. His lawyer, Erdal Doğan, confirmed this feeling of Dink. A week before his assassination, Dink wrote that he felt "nervous and afraid" owing to the intensity of the hate mail
he had been receiving: "I see myself as frightened, the way a dove might be, but I know that the people in this country would never harm a dove."
student who wanted to meet with Mr. Dink. When his request was rejected, he waited in front of a nearby bank for a while. According to eyewitnesses, Dink was shot by a man of 25–30 years of age, who fired three shots at Dink's head from the back at point blank range before fleeing the scene on foot. According to the police, the assassin was a man of 18–19 years of age. Two men had been taken into custody in the first hours of the police investigation, but were later released. Another witness, the owner of a restaurant near the Agos office, said the assassin looked about 20, wore jeans and a cap and shouted "I shot the infidel" as he left the scene. Dink's friend Orhan Alkaya suggested that the three-shot assassination technique was a signature mark of the Kurdish Hezbollah
. Dink's wife and daughter collapsed when they heard the news, and were taken to the hospital.
addressed the press to state that special investigation committees were pursuing nearly two dozen leads and the police were analyzing ten thousand phone calls made from the vicinity of the crime scene.
News agencies reported on Saturday, 18:22 GMT that the shooter had been identified as "Ogün Samast
", a teenager born in 1990 and registered as residing in Trabzon
, the same city where barely one year ago the Catholic
priest Andrea Santoro
was shot dead by a 16-year-old native of the city, in front of the church of Santa Maria of Trabzon, which is a nationalist gathering center. In recent years, Trabzon has become an important recruiting place for ultra-nationalist movement. Samast's father identified him from the publicly released photos and alerted the authorities. Six people, including Samast's friend Yasin Hayal
, who had been involved in a bombing of a McDonald's restaurant in Trabzon in 2004, were taken into custody and brought to Istanbul. Later that evening at 19:55 GMT, news of Samast's capture in Samsun was announced. Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan
confirmed that the alleged assassin Ogün Samast had been captured, with the assassination weapon on him.
neighborhood of Istanbul. Dink's funeral ceremony developed into a demonstration at which a hundred thousand citizens marched in protest of the killing.
During a ceremony in front of the Agos
office in Osmanbey, Rakel Dink, Hrant Dink's widow, read a letter she had written, addressed to her murdered husband. Afterwards the crowd walked for eight kilometers to Yenikapı
via Taksim
and Aksaray
, while from Taksim Square onwards the coffin was taken directly to Kumkapı
for a church service. During the march, many in the crowd carried placards reading "We are all Armenian" and "We are all Hrant Dink" in Turkish
, Kurdish
and Armenian
, as well as placards reading "301
is the murderer". As the crowd passed in front of the party offices of MHP
and BBP
, catcalls were heard. All leave for police in Istanbul had been canceled, and the funeral and march proceeded without incident.
The service was attended by members of the Turkish government, representatives from the Armenian diaspora as well as religious leaders. Although Turkey has no official diplomatic relations with Armenia
, by invitation of Turkish Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdullah Gül
, the Armenian Deputy Foreign Minister Arman Kirakosian was present at the funeral. Prime Minister Erdoğan
was not present at the funeral, because he had to attend the scheduled inauguration of the Mount Bolu Tunnel.
After the church services, the hearse made a final tour for the thousands of marchers still gathered at Yenikapı, before proceeding to Balıklı
Armenian Cemetery in Istanbul's Zeytinburnu
neighborhood, where Dink's body was laid to rest. At the cemetery Rev. Krikor Agabaloglu (Pastor of the Armenian Evangelical Church of Gedikpaşa) and Rev. Rene Levonian (Armenian Evangelical World Council's representative) delivered short speeches in Turkish and in Armenian.
The funeral astonished and changed thoughts of some diaspora Armenians about Turkey. For example, Isabelle Kortian, an important diaspora (French) Armenian who came to Turkey for funeral of Hrant Dink, wrote an article for a Turkish newspaper Zaman on 25 January 2007 saying "The Turks' embracing Dink made an effect of an earthquake on us".
Ahmet Çokçınar, a prosecutor in the city of Samsun told the Anatolia news agency that Samast has confessed to killing Hrant Dink. According to this preliminary news, Samast said the killing was a personal act and did not have any organizational agenda. Samast's uncle Faik Samast has told private NTV television that he didn't think his nephew was capable of acting alone - "He didn't even know his way around Istanbul," "This kid was used." Samast said that he killed Dink for "insulting Turks", and that he doesn't regret it. According to media reports, Samast is a high school dropout and a possible drug addict. Later news reports stated that Samast had had no idea of the significance of his act until watching TV coverage, and that he had ended his written confession with an expression of remorse.
Three people were taken into custody in relation with the murder on the day of the murder. However, movements tied to the ultra-nationalist movement are currently suspected of carrying out the murder, in particular after the arrest of Yasin Hayal
, a militant who passed 11 months in prison for having taken part in the bombing of a McDonald's in Trabzon in 2004, and of Karadeniz Technical University
student Erhan Tuncel, close to the Alperen organization, the neo-fascist youth organization associated with the ultra-nationalist and Islamist party Great Union Party
(BBP), created by former members of the Nationalist Movement Party
(MHP). Yasin Hayal
confessed to telling Samast to kill Dink and supplying the murder weapon, while Erhan Tuncel has been charged as a main instigator of the killing, and allegedly directed both Samast and Hayal. The BBP has denied any involvement in the assassination. Hrant Dink was qualified as a "traitor" by the Turkish far right, and had received up to 2,600 death threats from ultra-nationalist circles. According to rumors reported by Turkish newspapers late January 2007, Erhan Tuncel was actually a police informer for Trabzon Police. The rumors also suggested that he warned Trabzon police office before the murder, but that the warnings were ignored.
In a surprising development, eyewitnesses of the killing and people who had watched video footage of the killing captured by CCTV declared that a team composed of four to five people were involved, led by a man of about age 40–45, among which Yasin Hayal, who was claimed to be identifiable as the one actually pulling the trigger. The words of one of the witnesses implied that the police had been trying to hide the existence of one revealing video cassette. Asked whether he thought the group of people behind the assassination of Dink were a small gang or a bigger organization, Turkish Minister of Justice Cemil Çiçek
responded by saying, "according to the information and the connections received up to now, it seems that this is an act of organization."
Investigations concerning the nationalist underground Ergenekon network
have led to suspicions concerning Ergenekon's involvement in Dink's assassination. Folder 441 of the Ergenekon indictment's annex contains evidence that Dink's entire family was targeted. Staff colonel Ferhat Özsoy allegedly pressured chief master sergeant Murat Şahan into carrying out the assassination, offering him 300,000 Lira in reward. Şahan, who was undergoing psychiatric treatment as a result of being 70,000 Lira in debt, resisted and filed a complaint from a military hospital, where he was forced to undergo an examination.
reported that the police file on a Erhan Tuncel, a prime suspect in the murder case, had been destroyed on grounds that the file was a "state secret" before the court had a chance to see the document.
The lawyer for the Dink family, Erdal Doğan, repeated the concern that much evidence was destroyed and lost that might reveal relationships between the suspects and members of the security forces, including a tape from a security camera outside a bank near the Agos offices where Dink was killed. Doğan said that the chief of police intelligence , Ramazan Akyürek, ordered the expungement of a suspect's 48-page testimony.
When the lawyers of Dink family investigated the security camera records which were screening the street where the assasination took place, they identified four suspects speaking with their cellphones. Thereupon they requested the gsm call operation logs in the Şişli
region Turkish Telecommunication Authorities around the time when the murder happened and the time where they identified the cell phone usage from the security cameras. Two major GSM providers reported that they do not have any gsm base station in that region hence they can not identify anything. The other major gsm operator in Turkey stated that there was no single call operation during the reported times. The lawyers stated that it is almost impposible that there can not be any calls during this hours or the companies can not have any base station because Şişli is one of the most crowded regions in Istanbul during that times. In addition the security camera recordings shows that there was gsm communication indeed during that times.
Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn
: "I am shocked and saddened by this brutal act of violence," he said in a statement. "Hrant Dink was a respected intellectual who defended his views with conviction and contributed to an open public debate. He was a campaigner for freedom of expression in Turkey," he said.
: The United States embassy in Ankara
also offered condolences to Dink's family, saying that "we are shocked and deeply troubled to hear that Hrant Dink was killed in an armed attack today in Istanbul.": French president, Jacques Chirac
sent a letter to Dink's widow which said: "I can't express strongly enough how I condemn this abominable act, which deprives Turkey of one of its most courageous and free voices.": Germany, as the EU President for 2007, condemned the murder in its official statement. "The Presidency is appalled by this abominable killing and would like to express its deepest sympathy to the victim's family and friends." reads the statement. "The Presidency is convinced that the Turkish authorities will solve this case as quickly as possible and has no doubt that Turkey will steadfastly continue along the path towards fully realizing freedom of expression," the statement says.: Italian Premier Romano Prodi
condemned the killing in Istanbul of Hrant Dink when he met his Turkish counterpart on Monday, January 22. "It is a very serious episode on which I hope full light will be shed," Prodi said in an interview with Turkish newspaper Sabah.
In January 2009 the 8th hearings was held. Seven of eight defendants under arrest attended the hearing. At the end three defendants were released and the hearing was adjourned to 20 April 2009. According to Human Rights Watch
, Dink's murder trial is "a critical test of the Turkish judiciary's independence."
On July 25, 2011, Ogün Samast
was convicted of premeditated murder and illegal possession of a firearm by Istanbul's Heavy Juvenile Criminal Court. He was sentenced to 22 years and 10 months in prison
, and will be eligible for parole in 2021, after serving 2/3's of his sentence.
found that Turkish authorities have violated Dink's right to life (Article 2 ECHR) by not acting to prevent murder and not punishing police for inaction.
Hrant Dink
Hrant Dink or Հրանտ Դինք ) was a Turkish citizen of Armenian descent editor, journalist and columnist....
was assassinated in Istanbul
Istanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
on January 19, 2007. Dink was a newspaper editor who had written and spoken about the Armenian genocide
Armenian Genocide
The Armenian Genocide—also known as the Armenian Holocaust, the Armenian Massacres and, by Armenians, as the Great Crime—refers to the deliberate and systematic destruction of the Armenian population of the Ottoman Empire during and just after World War I...
. He had been under prosecution by the Turkish government for violating Article 301 of the Turkish Penal Code and denigrating Turkishness. His death sparked international outrage.
Death threats
Dink had long endured threats by Turkish nationalists for his statements on Armenian identity and the Armenian Genocide. He regularly received emails threatening his life, responding in one instance by comparing himself to a dove, "equally obsessed by what goes on on my left and right, front and back. My head is just as mobile and fast". He complained about the indifference of the Turkish government to this atmosphere of terror: "Do you ministers know the price of making someone as scared as a dove?"In his final Agos column on January 10, 2007, Dink noted that propaganda targeting him led many Turkish citizens to consider him an enemy of Turkey:
He also complained of the indifference of Turkish authorities to his security:
Despite his complaints, Dink never formally requested protection from the authorities because he did not want to lead a sheltered life. His lawyer, Erdal Doğan, confirmed this feeling of Dink. A week before his assassination, Dink wrote that he felt "nervous and afraid" owing to the intensity of the hate mail
Hate mail
Hate mail is a form of harassment, usually consisting of invective and potentially intimidating or threatening comments towards the recipient...
he had been receiving: "I see myself as frightened, the way a dove might be, but I know that the people in this country would never harm a dove."
Assassination
Dink was assassinated in Istanbul around 12:00 GMT on January 19, 2007 as he returned to the offices of Agos. The killer was reported to have introduced himself as an Ankara UniversityAnkara University
Ankara University is a public university in Ankara, the capital city of Turkey. It was the first higher education institution founded in the Turkish Republic....
student who wanted to meet with Mr. Dink. When his request was rejected, he waited in front of a nearby bank for a while. According to eyewitnesses, Dink was shot by a man of 25–30 years of age, who fired three shots at Dink's head from the back at point blank range before fleeing the scene on foot. According to the police, the assassin was a man of 18–19 years of age. Two men had been taken into custody in the first hours of the police investigation, but were later released. Another witness, the owner of a restaurant near the Agos office, said the assassin looked about 20, wore jeans and a cap and shouted "I shot the infidel" as he left the scene. Dink's friend Orhan Alkaya suggested that the three-shot assassination technique was a signature mark of the Kurdish Hezbollah
Kurdish Hezbollah
Hizbullah , often referred to as the Turkish Hezbollah or Kurdish Hezbollah , to avoid confusion with the completely unrelated Lebanese Shi'a group called Hezbollah, is a Kurdish Sunni Islamist militant organization, active against the Government of Turkey...
. Dink's wife and daughter collapsed when they heard the news, and were taken to the hospital.
Capture of the suspected shooter
One day after the assassination, the police announced that the shooter had been identified in video footage collected through both the Istanbul MOBESE electronic surveillance network (4,000+ cameras throughout the city) and local security cameras. They later released photos to the public while urging every citizen to aid with the investigation. On the same evening, Istanbul Governor Muammer GülerMuammer Güler
Muammer Güler is a Turkish civil servant and was previously the governor of Istanbul Province.-Biography:Güler was born in Mardin, Turkey. He completed his primary education in Ankara and graduated from the Faculty of Law at the University of Ankara in 1972. Güler began his career as candidate...
addressed the press to state that special investigation committees were pursuing nearly two dozen leads and the police were analyzing ten thousand phone calls made from the vicinity of the crime scene.
News agencies reported on Saturday, 18:22 GMT that the shooter had been identified as "Ogün Samast
Ogün Samast
Ogün Samast is a Turkish ultra-nationalist who killed Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink on January 19, 2007 in front of the headquarters of his newspaper Agos, in Osmanbey, Istanbul.-Background:...
", a teenager born in 1990 and registered as residing in Trabzon
Trabzon
Trabzon is a city on the Black Sea coast of north-eastern Turkey and the capital of Trabzon Province. Trabzon, located on the historical Silk Road, became a melting pot of religions, languages and culture for centuries and a trade gateway to Iran in the southeast and the Caucasus to the northeast...
, the same city where barely one year ago the Catholic
Roman Catholicism in Turkey
The Roman Catholic Church in Turkey is part of the worldwide Roman Catholic Church, under the spiritual leadership of the Pope and curia in Rome. There are around 35,000 Catholics, constituting 0.05% of the population. The faithful follow the Latin, Byzantine, Armenian and Chaldean Rite...
priest Andrea Santoro
Andrea Santoro
Father Andrea Santoro was a Roman Catholic priest in Turkey, murdered in the Santa Maria Church in Trabzon where he served as a member of the Catholic Church's Fidei donum missionary program.On 5 September 2006 he was shot dead from behind while kneeling in prayer in the church...
was shot dead by a 16-year-old native of the city, in front of the church of Santa Maria of Trabzon, which is a nationalist gathering center. In recent years, Trabzon has become an important recruiting place for ultra-nationalist movement. Samast's father identified him from the publicly released photos and alerted the authorities. Six people, including Samast's friend Yasin Hayal
Yasin Hayal
Yasin Hayal is a Turkish criminal who served a ten-month prison term for bombing a McDonald's restaurant in the city of Trabzon, Turkey, currently on trial for allegedly inciting Ogün Samast to assassinate Turkish Armenian journalist Hrant Dink....
, who had been involved in a bombing of a McDonald's restaurant in Trabzon in 2004, were taken into custody and brought to Istanbul. Later that evening at 19:55 GMT, news of Samast's capture in Samsun was announced. Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan
Recep Tayyip Erdogan
Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has been Prime Minister of Turkey since 2003 and is chairman of the ruling Justice and Development Party , which holds a majority of the seats in the Grand National Assembly of Turkey. Erdoğan served as Mayor of Istanbul from 1994 to 1998. He graduated in 1981 from Marmara...
confirmed that the alleged assassin Ogün Samast had been captured, with the assassination weapon on him.
Funeral
Dink's funeral service was held on January 23, 2007 in the Surp Asdvadzadzin Patriarchal Church in the KumkapıKumkapi
Kumkapı is part of the Fatih district of Istanbul. It is located along the Marmara Sea. Up to recent times, Kumkapı was mostly inhabited by Armenians, who still have a community school and several churches there. It is also the seat of the Armenian Patriarchate of Constantinople...
neighborhood of Istanbul. Dink's funeral ceremony developed into a demonstration at which a hundred thousand citizens marched in protest of the killing.
During a ceremony in front of the Agos
Agos
Agos is an Armenian weekly newspaper published in Istanbul, Turkey. It was established on 5 April 1996. Today, it has a circulation of over 9,000. It has both Armenian and Turkish pages as well as an on-line English edition...
office in Osmanbey, Rakel Dink, Hrant Dink's widow, read a letter she had written, addressed to her murdered husband. Afterwards the crowd walked for eight kilometers to Yenikapı
Yenikapi
Yenikapı is a port and a neighborhood of Istanbul, Turkey, in the metropolitan district of Fatih on the European side of the Bosphorus and along the southern shore of the city's historically central peninsula....
via Taksim
Taksim Square
Taksim Square situated in the European part of Istanbul, Turkey, is a major shopping, tourist and leisure district famed for its restaurants, shops and hotels. It is considered the heart of modern Istanbul, with the central station of the Istanbul Metro network...
and Aksaray
Aksaray
Aksaray is a city in the Central Anatolia region of Turkey and the capital district of Aksaray Province. According to 2009 census, population of the province is 376 907 of which 171,423 live in the city of Aksaray. The district covers an area of , and the average elevation is , with the highest...
, while from Taksim Square onwards the coffin was taken directly to Kumkapı
Kumkapi
Kumkapı is part of the Fatih district of Istanbul. It is located along the Marmara Sea. Up to recent times, Kumkapı was mostly inhabited by Armenians, who still have a community school and several churches there. It is also the seat of the Armenian Patriarchate of Constantinople...
for a church service. During the march, many in the crowd carried placards reading "We are all Armenian" and "We are all Hrant Dink" in Turkish
Turkish language
Turkish is a language spoken as a native language by over 83 million people worldwide, making it the most commonly spoken of the Turkic languages. Its speakers are located predominantly in Turkey and Northern Cyprus with smaller groups in Iraq, Greece, Bulgaria, the Republic of Macedonia, Kosovo,...
, Kurdish
Kurdish language
Kurdish is a dialect continuum spoken by the Kurds in western Asia. It is part of the Iranian branch of the Indo-Iranian group of Indo-European languages....
and Armenian
Armenian language
The Armenian language is an Indo-European language spoken by the Armenian people. It is the official language of the Republic of Armenia as well as in the region of Nagorno-Karabakh. The language is also widely spoken by Armenian communities in the Armenian diaspora...
, as well as placards reading "301
Article 301 (Turkish penal code)
Article 301 is a controversial article of the Turkish Penal Code making it illegal to insult Turkey, the Turkish ethnicity, or Turkish government institutions...
is the murderer". As the crowd passed in front of the party offices of MHP
Nationalist Movement Party
The Nationalist Movement Party , is a far-right political party in Turkey.In the 2002 general elections, the party had lost its 129 seats as it had won only 8.34% of the national vote...
and BBP
Great Union Party
The Great Union Party is a nationalist political party in Turkey, created on January 29, 1993. It is considered to be close to the Grey Wolves organization, and is related to the "Alperen Ocakları" tendency, which operated a synthesis between Islamism and Turkish Nationalism, and separated itself...
, catcalls were heard. All leave for police in Istanbul had been canceled, and the funeral and march proceeded without incident.
The service was attended by members of the Turkish government, representatives from the Armenian diaspora as well as religious leaders. Although Turkey has no official diplomatic relations with Armenia
Armenian-Turkish relations
Armenian–Turkish relations have been strained by a number of historical and political issues, including the Armenian Genocide and the continuing Turkish attempts at its denial. Although there are currently no formal diplomatic relations between the two modern states, it was announced on October 10,...
, by invitation of Turkish Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdullah Gül
Abdullah Gül
Dr. Abdullah Gül, GCB is the 11th and current President of the Republic of Turkey, serving in that office since 28 August 2007. He previously served for four months as Prime Minister from 2002-03, and as Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2003-07....
, the Armenian Deputy Foreign Minister Arman Kirakosian was present at the funeral. Prime Minister Erdoğan
Recep Tayyip Erdogan
Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has been Prime Minister of Turkey since 2003 and is chairman of the ruling Justice and Development Party , which holds a majority of the seats in the Grand National Assembly of Turkey. Erdoğan served as Mayor of Istanbul from 1994 to 1998. He graduated in 1981 from Marmara...
was not present at the funeral, because he had to attend the scheduled inauguration of the Mount Bolu Tunnel.
After the church services, the hearse made a final tour for the thousands of marchers still gathered at Yenikapı, before proceeding to Balıklı
Balıklı, Istanbul
Balıklı is a neighborhood of Istanbul, Turkey. It belongs to the Zeytinburnu municipality , and is part of the Kazlıçeşme Mahalle....
Armenian Cemetery in Istanbul's Zeytinburnu
Zeytinburnu
Zeytinburnu is a working class neighbourhood, municipality and district on the European side of İstanbul, Turkey, on the shore of the Marmara Sea just outside the walls of the ancient city, beyond the fortress of Yedikule...
neighborhood, where Dink's body was laid to rest. At the cemetery Rev. Krikor Agabaloglu (Pastor of the Armenian Evangelical Church of Gedikpaşa) and Rev. Rene Levonian (Armenian Evangelical World Council's representative) delivered short speeches in Turkish and in Armenian.
The funeral astonished and changed thoughts of some diaspora Armenians about Turkey. For example, Isabelle Kortian, an important diaspora (French) Armenian who came to Turkey for funeral of Hrant Dink, wrote an article for a Turkish newspaper Zaman on 25 January 2007 saying "The Turks' embracing Dink made an effect of an earthquake on us".
Investigation
The Istanbul Criminology Department stated that from the empty shells, they were able to determine that the assassination weapon used 7.65 millimeter ammunition and had never been used in another crime.Ahmet Çokçınar, a prosecutor in the city of Samsun told the Anatolia news agency that Samast has confessed to killing Hrant Dink. According to this preliminary news, Samast said the killing was a personal act and did not have any organizational agenda. Samast's uncle Faik Samast has told private NTV television that he didn't think his nephew was capable of acting alone - "He didn't even know his way around Istanbul," "This kid was used." Samast said that he killed Dink for "insulting Turks", and that he doesn't regret it. According to media reports, Samast is a high school dropout and a possible drug addict. Later news reports stated that Samast had had no idea of the significance of his act until watching TV coverage, and that he had ended his written confession with an expression of remorse.
Three people were taken into custody in relation with the murder on the day of the murder. However, movements tied to the ultra-nationalist movement are currently suspected of carrying out the murder, in particular after the arrest of Yasin Hayal
Yasin Hayal
Yasin Hayal is a Turkish criminal who served a ten-month prison term for bombing a McDonald's restaurant in the city of Trabzon, Turkey, currently on trial for allegedly inciting Ogün Samast to assassinate Turkish Armenian journalist Hrant Dink....
, a militant who passed 11 months in prison for having taken part in the bombing of a McDonald's in Trabzon in 2004, and of Karadeniz Technical University
Karadeniz Technical University
Karadeniz Technical University , is a public research university in Trabzon, in the Black Sea region of Turkey. Established in 1955, it is the fourth oldest university in Turkey and the only Technical University to comprise a medical school.-History:...
student Erhan Tuncel, close to the Alperen organization, the neo-fascist youth organization associated with the ultra-nationalist and Islamist party Great Union Party
Great Union Party
The Great Union Party is a nationalist political party in Turkey, created on January 29, 1993. It is considered to be close to the Grey Wolves organization, and is related to the "Alperen Ocakları" tendency, which operated a synthesis between Islamism and Turkish Nationalism, and separated itself...
(BBP), created by former members of the Nationalist Movement Party
Nationalist Movement Party
The Nationalist Movement Party , is a far-right political party in Turkey.In the 2002 general elections, the party had lost its 129 seats as it had won only 8.34% of the national vote...
(MHP). Yasin Hayal
Yasin Hayal
Yasin Hayal is a Turkish criminal who served a ten-month prison term for bombing a McDonald's restaurant in the city of Trabzon, Turkey, currently on trial for allegedly inciting Ogün Samast to assassinate Turkish Armenian journalist Hrant Dink....
confessed to telling Samast to kill Dink and supplying the murder weapon, while Erhan Tuncel has been charged as a main instigator of the killing, and allegedly directed both Samast and Hayal. The BBP has denied any involvement in the assassination. Hrant Dink was qualified as a "traitor" by the Turkish far right, and had received up to 2,600 death threats from ultra-nationalist circles. According to rumors reported by Turkish newspapers late January 2007, Erhan Tuncel was actually a police informer for Trabzon Police. The rumors also suggested that he warned Trabzon police office before the murder, but that the warnings were ignored.
In a surprising development, eyewitnesses of the killing and people who had watched video footage of the killing captured by CCTV declared that a team composed of four to five people were involved, led by a man of about age 40–45, among which Yasin Hayal, who was claimed to be identifiable as the one actually pulling the trigger. The words of one of the witnesses implied that the police had been trying to hide the existence of one revealing video cassette. Asked whether he thought the group of people behind the assassination of Dink were a small gang or a bigger organization, Turkish Minister of Justice Cemil Çiçek
Cemil Çiçek
Cemil Çiçek is a Turkish politician who is the current Speaker of the Parliament of Turkey since July 4, 2011. He served as the Deputy Prime Minister of Turkey and Justice and Development Party Member of Parliament from Ankara. He was formerly Minister of Justice and government spokesman.-Early...
responded by saying, "according to the information and the connections received up to now, it seems that this is an act of organization."
Investigations concerning the nationalist underground Ergenekon network
Ergenekon network
Ergenekon is the name given to an alleged clandestine, Kemalist ultra-nationalist organization in Turkey with possible ties to members of the country's military and security forces...
have led to suspicions concerning Ergenekon's involvement in Dink's assassination. Folder 441 of the Ergenekon indictment's annex contains evidence that Dink's entire family was targeted. Staff colonel Ferhat Özsoy allegedly pressured chief master sergeant Murat Şahan into carrying out the assassination, offering him 300,000 Lira in reward. Şahan, who was undergoing psychiatric treatment as a result of being 70,000 Lira in debt, resisted and filed a complaint from a military hospital, where he was forced to undergo an examination.
Concerns over a possible cover-up
On October 3, 2007, the TV station NTVNTV Turkey
NTV is a Turkish nationwide television news channel. NTV was founded in 1996 by Turkish businessman Cavit Çağlar as the first news channel of Turkey and has partnered with MSNBC since May 2000. Aired on this channel is usually the news but also provides football games, especially La Liga matches,...
reported that the police file on a Erhan Tuncel, a prime suspect in the murder case, had been destroyed on grounds that the file was a "state secret" before the court had a chance to see the document.
The lawyer for the Dink family, Erdal Doğan, repeated the concern that much evidence was destroyed and lost that might reveal relationships between the suspects and members of the security forces, including a tape from a security camera outside a bank near the Agos offices where Dink was killed. Doğan said that the chief of police intelligence , Ramazan Akyürek, ordered the expungement of a suspect's 48-page testimony.
When the lawyers of Dink family investigated the security camera records which were screening the street where the assasination took place, they identified four suspects speaking with their cellphones. Thereupon they requested the gsm call operation logs in the Şişli
Sisli
Şişli is one of 39 districts of Istanbul, Turkey. Located on the European side of the city, it is bordered by Beşiktaş to the east, Sarıyer to the north, Eyüp and Kağıthane to the west, and Beyoğlu to the south...
region Turkish Telecommunication Authorities around the time when the murder happened and the time where they identified the cell phone usage from the security cameras. Two major GSM providers reported that they do not have any gsm base station in that region hence they can not identify anything. The other major gsm operator in Turkey stated that there was no single call operation during the reported times. The lawyers stated that it is almost impposible that there can not be any calls during this hours or the companies can not have any base station because Şişli is one of the most crowded regions in Istanbul during that times. In addition the security camera recordings shows that there was gsm communication indeed during that times.
Reactions
After the news of his assassination spread, condemnations came instantly from virtually all major political parties, government officials and NGOs in Turkey, as well as from many international observers.Condemnations
- Hundreds of thousands of people marched in Istanbul from the Agos newspaper's office to the Taksim SquareTaksim SquareTaksim Square situated in the European part of Istanbul, Turkey, is a major shopping, tourist and leisure district famed for its restaurants, shops and hotels. It is considered the heart of modern Istanbul, with the central station of the Istanbul Metro network...
in a spontaneous protest of the assassination. According to the BBCBBCThe British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
, protesters chanted "We are all Armenian, we are all Hrant Dink. People marched in other cities (including AnkaraAnkaraAnkara is the capital of Turkey and the country's second largest city after Istanbul. The city has a mean elevation of , and as of 2010 the metropolitan area in the entire Ankara Province had a population of 4.4 million....
, AntalyaAntalyaAntalya is a city on the Mediterranean coast of southwestern Turkey. With a population 1,001,318 as of 2010. It is the eighth most populous city in Turkey and country's biggest international sea resort.- History :...
, Bursa, İzmirIzmirIzmir is a large metropolis in the western extremity of Anatolia. The metropolitan area in the entire Izmir Province had a population of 3.35 million as of 2010, making the city third most populous in Turkey...
, Tunceli and TrabzonTrabzonTrabzon is a city on the Black Sea coast of north-eastern Turkey and the capital of Trabzon Province. Trabzon, located on the historical Silk Road, became a melting pot of religions, languages and culture for centuries and a trade gateway to Iran in the southeast and the Caucasus to the northeast...
) as well to protest the assassination. They also blamed the Turkish state for the assassination, chanting, "The killer state will be held accountable".
- Many press outlets expressed outrage over the killing. Some headlines: "The Murderer Is a Traitor" (HürriyetHürriyet-External links:* * ** * *...
), "Same Bloody Scenario" (referring to assassination of prominent journalists in the past) (Akşam), "It Was Turkey That Was Shot Dead" (MilliyetMilliyetMilliyet is a major Turkish daily newspaper founded in 1950.-History:Milliyet came to publishing life at the Nuri Akça press in Babıali, Istanbul as a daily private newspaper on 3 May 1950...
), "Nothing could harm Turkey more than this" (VatanVatanVatan is a Turkish daily newspaper.A newspaper in Turkey founded in 2002, it is increasingly becoming one of the most popular.As of March 2011, Vatan newspaper had the 15th highest circulation in Turkey at 111,489....
) and "They Killed Our Brother" (BirGünBirGünBirGün is an Istanbul-based Turkish left-wing daily.The paper was founded in 2004 by a group of Turkish intellectuals. The most important point of the newspaper is that it doesn't have any owners....
). Some newspapers blamed the media that supported nationalist points of view around Hrant Dink's trial for denigrating Turkishness, up to the point of declaring him a traitor. One of those headlines was "Be Proud Of Your Work" (RadikalRadikalRadikal is a daily Turkish language newspaper, published in Istanbul. It has been published since 1997 by Aydın Doğan's Doğan Media Group ....
) - Columns in Turkish newspapers included Armenian in transliteration: Ahparik, Ahparik! [Armenian for "brother, brother!"] by Hadi Uluengin in Hürriyet, and Tsidesutyun Paregamis! [Farewell My Friend!] by Can Dundar in Milliyet.
- President Ahmet Necdet SezerAhmet Necdet Sezer- External links :* , Presidency of the Republic of Turkey...
: "I am deeply saddened by the assassination of Hrant Dink in front of the Agos newspaper. I strongly condemn this ugly and shameful act. - Prime Minister Recep Tayyip ErdoğanRecep Tayyip ErdoganRecep Tayyip Erdoğan has been Prime Minister of Turkey since 2003 and is chairman of the ruling Justice and Development Party , which holds a majority of the seats in the Grand National Assembly of Turkey. Erdoğan served as Mayor of Istanbul from 1994 to 1998. He graduated in 1981 from Marmara...
: "The dark hands that killed him will be found and punished." - Armenian Patriarch of Turkey, Mesrob MutafyanPatriarch Mesrob II Mutafyan of ConstantinopleArchbishop Mesrob II Mutafyan, also known as Mesrop Mutafyan, is the 84th Armenian Patriarch of Constantinople...
, declared 15 days of mourning for the Armenian community in Turkey. - Speaker of the Grand National Assembly of TurkeyGrand National Assembly of TurkeyThe Grand National Assembly of Turkey , usually referred to simply as the Meclis , is the unicameral Turkish legislature. It is the sole body given the legislative prerogatives by the Turkish Constitution. It was founded in Ankara on 23 April 1920 in the midst of the Turkish War of Independence...
Bülent ArınçBülent ArinçBülent Arınç , is a Turkish politician. He served as the 22nd house speaker of the Parliament of Turkey from 2002 to 2007. He is one of the State Ministers of Turkey and Vice-Prime Minister today.-Life and education:...
, - Chief of General Staff Yaşar BüyükanıtYasar BüyükanitGeneral Mehmet Yaşar Büyükanıt was the 25th Chief of the Turkish General Staff of the Turkish Armed Forces, from 28 August 2006 to 28 August 2008.-Biography:...
condemned the assassination. - Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, Bartholomew I: "We are deeply saddened by the heinous assassination of Hrant Dink, one of our country's prominent journalists".
- Over one hundred thousand people marched in Dink's Funeral to protest his assassination, holding placards that are saying "We are all Armenian" and "We are Hrant Dink" in both Turkish, Kurdish and Armenian.(See funeral above.) Later, these placards were protested by the far-right MHPNationalist Movement PartyThe Nationalist Movement Party , is a far-right political party in Turkey.In the 2002 general elections, the party had lost its 129 seats as it had won only 8.34% of the national vote...
. The leader of MHP described the placards saying "We are all Armenian" as "a freak show organized by those who do not participate in martyr funerals". On the other hand, a party council member of the main-opposition CHPRepublican People's Party (Turkey)The Republican People's Party is a centre-left Kemalist political party in Turkey. It is the oldest political party of Turkey and is currently Main Opposition in the Grand National Assembly. The Republican People's Party describes itself as "a modern social-democratic party, which is faithful to...
, a member of Socialist InternationalSocialist InternationalThe Socialist International is a worldwide organization of democratic socialist, social democratic and labour political parties. It was formed in 1951.- History :...
, said "we became ashamed of being Turkish. I am Turkish and I protest the assassination. Maybe we should have carried the placards saying 'We are all Human' instead of 'We are all Armenians'. The placards that say "assassin 301Article 301 (Turkish penal code)Article 301 is a controversial article of the Turkish Penal Code making it illegal to insult Turkey, the Turkish ethnicity, or Turkish government institutions...
" are also wrong. As long as we do not want to denigrate Turkishness, we cannot call 301 an assassin." - Nobel PrizeNobel Prize in LiteratureSince 1901, the Nobel Prize in Literature has been awarded annually to an author from any country who has, in the words from the will of Alfred Nobel, produced "in the field of literature the most outstanding work in an ideal direction"...
-winning TurkishTurkeyTurkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
novelist, Orhan PamukOrhan PamukFerit Orhan Pamuk , generally known simply as Orhan Pamuk, is a Turkish novelist. He is also the Robert Yik-Fong Tam Professor in the Humanities at Columbia University, where he teaches comparative literature and writing....
visited Dink's family in Istanbul on January 21. "In a sense, we are all responsible for his death," he said. "However, at the very forefront of this responsibility are those who still defend Article 301 of the Turkish Penal Code. Those who campaigned against him, those who portrayed this sibling of ours as an enemy of Turkey, those who painted him as a target, they are the most responsible in this. And then, in the end, we are all responsible." - Although condemning the murder, columnist Murat BardakçıMurat BardakçiMurat Gökhan Bardakçı is a Turkish journalist working on Ottoman history and Turkish music history. Besides he is a columnist in Habertürk newspaper.-Biography:Bardakçı was born in 1955 in İstanbul...
in the newspaper SabahSabah (newspaper)Sabah is a popular Turkish daily newspaper, with a circulation of around 330,000 as of 2011. Its name means "morning" in the Turkish language originating from Arabic...
, and, in his footsteps, Sedat LaçinerSedat LaçinerSedat Laçiner , academic, columnist and author, is a Turkish academic specialist on the Middle East and International Relations, with particular reference to Turkish foreign policy. Prof. Dr...
in an editorial in Journal of Turkish WeeklyJournal of Turkish WeeklyJournal of Turkish Weekly is a Web site run by the International Strategic Research Organization, targeted towards policymakers. The journal provides Turkish approach on global and regional issues. Established in 2004. It is owned by the USAK Derneği, which publishes other printed and online...
, pointed out similarities with the murder of Talat Pasha in Berlin in 1921 by an Armenian nationalist, and more generally drew attention to politically motivated killings of Turks by Armenians.
Subsequent Actions
- Hüseyin Yavuzdemir, governor of Trabzon and Reşat Altay, chief of police of Trabzon were removed from duty and a special investigation team was sent from Ankara to Trabzon to investigate the situation in the city.
- A ferryboat on the GeliboluGeliboluGelibolu, also known as Gallipoli , is the name of a town and a district in Çanakkale Province of the Marmara region, located in Eastern Thrace in the European part of Turkey on the southern shore of the peninsula named after it on the Dardanelles strait, two miles away from Lapseki on the other...
–LapsekiLapsekiLapseki is a town and district of Çanakkale Province, Turkey. As of 2010, it has a population of 10,889. The mayor is Gani Mehmet Ekim .The district of Lapseki is famous for its cherries; a cherry festival is held annually in this town.-History:...
line was hijacked by Nihat Acar (36), who protested the slogan "We are all Armenian". The hijacker made the ferryboat return to Gelibolu where passengers were allowed to disembark. The hijacker, who worked at a convenience shop in Gelibolu, surrendered after holding the ferry captain hostage for 2 hours. - On the 7th day after Hrant Dink's murder, a dance troupe organized a protest in front of Agos, where they asked passersby to lie in front of Agos in the same position as the murdered journalist, with a newspaper over their bodies. About 50 people took part, despite heavy rain. The organizers said that they were asking people to lie on the sidewalk for 10 minutes and to die symbolically for a rebirth.
- Agos, whose normal circulation was about 6,000, was printed 30,000, distributed nationally and was getting ready for a re-print in its first publication since the murder of its editor-in-chief. A group of intellectuals and journalists took part in selling Agos on the streets of Istanbul.
- Turkish Minister of Foreign Affairs, Abdullah Gül declared in Davos on 28 January that a change in Article 301 was imminent as it was hindering the reform process in Turkey.
- On February 1, 2007, the private Turkish television channel TGRT, which was bought by Rupert MurdochRupert MurdochKeith Rupert Murdoch, AC, KSG is an Australian-American business magnate. He is the founder and Chairman and CEO of , the world's second-largest media conglomerate....
, broadcast video footage of the man accused of shooting Hrant Dink posing proudly behind a Turkish flag, flanked by police officers of both military and security police, allegedly filmed in the police bureau of Samsun where he was taken after his arrest. In the background was a poster bearing the words of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk: "The nation's land is sacred. It cannot be left to fate." The video caused shock and consternation as commentators warned it was another sign of the growing power of Turkish ultra-nationalism, as the nation gears up for parliamentary and presidential elections later this year. Ismet Berkan, editor of the liberal newspaper RadikalRadikalRadikal is a daily Turkish language newspaper, published in Istanbul. It has been published since 1997 by Aydın Doğan's Doğan Media Group ....
, said that the release of the video was like killing Mr Dink a second time. It proved, he claimed, "that the murderer and his associates are not alone, that their supporters ... have penetrated all segments of the state." A police spokesperson said an investigation into the video footage and its leaking was underway. Rumours of the existence of such footage had been circulating for days, but were officially denied. In an apparent act of retaliation to the broadcasting of the footage, the Turkish General StaffTurkish Armed ForcesThe Turkish Armed Forces are the military forces of the Republic of Turkey. They consist of the Army, the Navy , and the Air Force...
canceled the accreditation of Rupert MurdochRupert MurdochKeith Rupert Murdoch, AC, KSG is an Australian-American business magnate. He is the founder and Chairman and CEO of , the world's second-largest media conglomerate....
's TGRT, required for attending press events at the staff headquarters. The general director of TGRT, Murat Akgiray, and the director responsible for the broadcasting, Bahattin Apak, have resigned. - On February 4, 2007 100 nationalist Turks of the National Struggle Association demonstrated on İstiklâl AvenueIstiklal Avenueİstiklal Avenue or Istiklal Street is one of the most famous avenues in Istanbul, Turkey, visited by nearly 3 million people in a single day over the course of weekends...
in Istanbul. The demonstration was seen as a reaction to the people who attended the funeral ceremony of Hrant Dink, many of whom carried banners that read "We all are Armenians", "We are all Hrant Dink." The protesters marched with Turkish flags, portraits of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk and carried placards reading, "We all are Mustafa Kemal. We all are Turks." Among the demonstrators were children wrapped in Turkish flags, chanting nationalistic slogans.
Armenia and the Armenian diaspora
- Former Armenian President Robert Kocharyan: "The killing of this well-known Armenian journalist in Turkey raises numerous questions and deserves the strongest condemnation. We hope that the Turkish authorities will do everything possible to find and punish the culprit strictly in accordance with the law."
- Former Foreign Minister Vardan OskanyanVardan OskanyanVartan Oskanian is former Foreign Minister of Armenia and founder of the Civilitas Foundation.-Early life and career:Born into the Armenian diaspora in Syria, Oskanian was educated in the Armenian schools of Aleppo. After graduating from high school in 1973 he left for Armenia, where he attended...
: "We are deeply shocked by the news of the assassination of Turkish Armenian journalist Hrant Dink, a man who lived his life in the belief that there can be understanding, dialogue and peace amongst peoples. We categorically condemn this act, regardless of the circumstances, and call on the Turkish authorities indeed to do everything to identify those responsible." - Armenian Evangelical churches worldwide held a special service of remembrance.
- There were demonstrations in cities all throughout Armenia in the aftermath of the assassination (among them YerevanYerevanYerevan is the capital and largest city of Armenia and one of the world's oldest continuously-inhabited cities. Situated along the Hrazdan River, Yerevan is the administrative, cultural, and industrial center of the country...
). During a demonstration in VanadzorVanadzor-Industry:Vanadzor is dominated by large chemical plants which include: "Prometey-Khimprom", "Vanadzor Chemical Plant", "Vanadzor Khimprom" and "Vanadzor Chemical Fiber Plant". Another big enterprise is the "Vanadzor Thermal Power Plant....
, residents pledged to continue Dink's work. There were demonstrations in the Armenian diaspora as well. - Armenian Revolutionary FederationArmenian Revolutionary FederationThe Armenian Revolutionary Federation is an Armenian political party founded in Tiflis in 1890 by Christapor Mikaelian, Stepan Zorian, and Simon Zavarian...
's Political Party in Armenia: "This killing once again proves the atmosphere of intolerance in Turkey even against the protection of state interests. - Armenian Assembly of AmericaArmenian Assembly of AmericaThe Armenian Assembly of America aims to "strengthen U.S./Armenia and U.S. relations, promotes Armenia's democratic development and economic prosperity and seeks universal affirmation of the Armenian Genocide" via "research, education and advocacy."...
: "The [Armenian] Assembly [...] remains deeply troubled by Ankara’s refusal to heed international calls to abolish Article 301 of the Turkish Penal CodeArticle 301 (Turkish penal code)Article 301 is a controversial article of the Turkish Penal Code making it illegal to insult Turkey, the Turkish ethnicity, or Turkish government institutions...
, which stifles freedom of speech and criminalizes public discussion of the Armenian GenocideArmenian GenocideThe Armenian Genocide—also known as the Armenian Holocaust, the Armenian Massacres and, by Armenians, as the Great Crime—refers to the deliberate and systematic destruction of the Armenian population of the Ottoman Empire during and just after World War I...
. Hrant Dink himself stood trial several times for his public comments on the genocide and was convicted in October 2006 for “insulting Turkishness” under the much-criticized law. He received a six-month suspended sentence and was set to appear in court again in March 2007 for telling a foreign journalist that the events of 1915 constituted genocide."
States
: EUEuropean Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn
Olli Rehn
Olli Ilmari Rehn is a Finnish politician, currently serving as European Commissioner for Economic and Financial Affairs. He had previously served as Commissioner for Enlargement...
: "I am shocked and saddened by this brutal act of violence," he said in a statement. "Hrant Dink was a respected intellectual who defended his views with conviction and contributed to an open public debate. He was a campaigner for freedom of expression in Turkey," he said.
- Vice President of the Barroso CommissionBarroso CommissionThe Barroso Commission is the European Commission that has been in office since 22 November 2004 and is due to serve until 2014. Its president is José Manuel Barroso, who presides over 26 other commissioners...
Günther Verheugen said in a statement to reporters during his visit in Bursa, Turkey: "I severely condemn this act. I congratulate the Turkish government for their behaviour in this issue. Because I believe that all these misdeeds intended against Turkey will ultimately fail. It is my sincere belief that Turkey will do whatever is necessary to shed light on the issue."
: The United States embassy in Ankara
Ankara
Ankara is the capital of Turkey and the country's second largest city after Istanbul. The city has a mean elevation of , and as of 2010 the metropolitan area in the entire Ankara Province had a population of 4.4 million....
also offered condolences to Dink's family, saying that "we are shocked and deeply troubled to hear that Hrant Dink was killed in an armed attack today in Istanbul.": French president, Jacques Chirac
Jacques Chirac
Jacques René Chirac is a French politician who served as President of France from 1995 to 2007. He previously served as Prime Minister of France from 1974 to 1976 and from 1986 to 1988 , and as Mayor of Paris from 1977 to 1995.After completing his studies of the DEA's degree at the...
sent a letter to Dink's widow which said: "I can't express strongly enough how I condemn this abominable act, which deprives Turkey of one of its most courageous and free voices.": Germany, as the EU President for 2007, condemned the murder in its official statement. "The Presidency is appalled by this abominable killing and would like to express its deepest sympathy to the victim's family and friends." reads the statement. "The Presidency is convinced that the Turkish authorities will solve this case as quickly as possible and has no doubt that Turkey will steadfastly continue along the path towards fully realizing freedom of expression," the statement says.: Italian Premier Romano Prodi
Romano Prodi
Romano Prodi is an Italian politician and statesman. He served as the Prime Minister of Italy, from 17 May 1996 to 21 October 1998 and from 17 May 2006 to 8 May 2008...
condemned the killing in Istanbul of Hrant Dink when he met his Turkish counterpart on Monday, January 22. "It is a very serious episode on which I hope full light will be shed," Prodi said in an interview with Turkish newspaper Sabah.
Human Rights Bodies
- Amnesty International USAAmnesty International USAAmnesty International USA is one of many country sections that make up Amnesty International worldwide.Amnesty International is an organization of more than 2.2 million supporters, activists and volunteers in over 150 countries, with complete independence from government, corporate or national...
: "This horrifying assassination silences one of Turkey's bravest human rights defenders. [...] legitimate debate about ideas must be protected. The Turkish government must redouble its efforts to protect human rights defenders and open its political climate to a range of views. Recent legal reforms have brought many areas of Turkish law in line with international human rights standards, but existing limitations on free speech such as Article 301 must be repealed." - Amnesty InternationalAmnesty InternationalAmnesty International is an international non-governmental organisation whose stated mission is "to conduct research and generate action to prevent and end grave abuses of human rights, and to demand justice for those whose rights have been violated."Following a publication of Peter Benenson's...
(UK): "Amnesty International calls on the Turkish authorities to condemn all forms of intolerance, to uphold the rights of all citizens of the Turkish Republic and to investigate the murder of Hrant Dink thoroughly and impartially, to make the findings of the investigation public - and to bring suspected perpetrators to justice in accordance with international fair trial standards." - Human Rights WatchHuman Rights WatchHuman Rights Watch is an international non-governmental organization that conducts research and advocacy on human rights. Its headquarters are in New York City and it has offices in Berlin, Beirut, Brussels, Chicago, Geneva, Johannesburg, London, Los Angeles, Moscow, Paris, San Francisco, Tokyo,...
: "We are deeply saddened by Hrant Dink's murder. Dink's killing robs Turkey of an important voice of conscience on the need for Turkey to come to terms with its past," said Holly Cartner, Europe and Central Asia director for Human Rights Watch. - ARTICLE 19ARTICLE 19ARTICLE 19 is a London-based human rights organisation with a specific mandate and focus on the defence and promotion of freedom of expression and freedom of information worldwide...
: “The Turkish authorities must also take a very hard look at their own role: their failure to repeal Article 301 of the Turkish Penal Code, the continuing use of this and other provisions to prosecute writers, journalists and others that dare speak out on taboo topics, and the authorities’ public criticism of these voices: all of these contribute to creating an environment that legitimizes attacks on freedom of expression, including attacks of a most violent and deadly nature,” said Dr. Agnès Callamard, ARTICLE 19’s Executive Director.
In January 2009 the 8th hearings was held. Seven of eight defendants under arrest attended the hearing. At the end three defendants were released and the hearing was adjourned to 20 April 2009. According to Human Rights Watch
Human Rights Watch
Human Rights Watch is an international non-governmental organization that conducts research and advocacy on human rights. Its headquarters are in New York City and it has offices in Berlin, Beirut, Brussels, Chicago, Geneva, Johannesburg, London, Los Angeles, Moscow, Paris, San Francisco, Tokyo,...
, Dink's murder trial is "a critical test of the Turkish judiciary's independence."
On July 25, 2011, Ogün Samast
Ogün Samast
Ogün Samast is a Turkish ultra-nationalist who killed Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink on January 19, 2007 in front of the headquarters of his newspaper Agos, in Osmanbey, Istanbul.-Background:...
was convicted of premeditated murder and illegal possession of a firearm by Istanbul's Heavy Juvenile Criminal Court. He was sentenced to 22 years and 10 months in prison
, and will be eligible for parole in 2021, after serving 2/3's of his sentence.
ECtHR proceedings
In September, 2010, the European Court of Human RightsEuropean Court of Human Rights
The European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg is a supra-national court established by the European Convention on Human Rights and hears complaints that a contracting state has violated the human rights enshrined in the Convention and its protocols. Complaints can be brought by individuals or...
found that Turkish authorities have violated Dink's right to life (Article 2 ECHR) by not acting to prevent murder and not punishing police for inaction.
See also
- AgosAgosAgos is an Armenian weekly newspaper published in Istanbul, Turkey. It was established on 5 April 1996. Today, it has a circulation of over 9,000. It has both Armenian and Turkish pages as well as an on-line English edition...
- Anti-ArmenianismAnti-ArmenianismArmenophobia is the fear, dislike of, hatred or aversion to the Armenians, Republic of Armenia and the Armenian culture, which can range in expression from individual hatred to institutionalized persecution...
- List of assassinated people from Turkey