Istanbul Court Postpones New Trial On Dink’s Case

ISTANBUL COURT POSTPONES NEW TRIAL ON DINK’S CASE

Noyan Tapan
Armenians Today
May 18 2006

ISTANBUL, MAY 18, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. The Istanbul court
started on May 16 the new trial on “Akos” newspaper editor Hrant Dink’s
case. As the “Turkish Daily News” informs, when Dink was to enter
the court hall, “traitor” statements were made from the hall. When a
brawl started among Dink’s supporters and those calling him “traitor”
and giving other qualifications, the judge decided to postpone the
trail. Hrant Dink is accused of making attempts to influence on the
judicial power as his newspaper published articles in which the law
considering “insulting Turkishness” as a crime is critized. To recap,
Dink was sentenced to 6-months imprisonement by the Istanbul Shishlu
court for “insulting Turkishness” as in one of his articles he called
on the Armenian people in Armenia and Diaspora not to poison its
blood by enmity towards Turks. The Court of Cassations of Ankara
re-affirmed recently the punishment defined for Dink and announced
invalid the decision on postponing the punishment.