BÝA, Turkey
July 17 2006

Civil Disobedience Spreads for Hrant Dink

Initiative For Freedom of Expression expand civil disobedience action
through public declaration denouncing themselves as "co-offenders" of
journalist Dink after appeals court upholds a suspended 6 month
sentence criminalizing his article in Agos weekly

BIA News Center
17/07/2006 Erol ONDEROGLU

BÝA (Istanbul) – The Initiative for Freedom of Expression has expanded
its civil disobedience action launched together with more than 20
intellectuals last March to embrace weekly Armenian Turkish Agos
newspaper Editor-in-Chief Hrant Dink whose 6 month suspended prison
sentence for an article in the paper was upheld by the Turkish Court
of Cassation last week.

Although Dink will not serve the prison sentence unless he commits
a "similar offence" within the next five years, the appeals court
verdict criminalizes opinions he expressed in his February 2004 column
in Agos on "the Armenian Identity".

Dink was found guilty of "insulting Turkish identity" under Article
301 of the criminal code despite the prosecutor’s opinion that an
offence of that nature had not taken place.

The initiative and those involved in its civil disobedience campaign
are now collecting more signatures from those willing to denounce
themselves as co-offenders of Dink and publicly state that they too
participated in his "offence". The public declaration will then be
published through the media in the form of advertisements.

"We declare that on behalf of freedom of expression we defend Agos
newspaper Editor-in-Chief Hrank Dink’s article which was regarded
as an offence under article 301 of the new Penal Code and that we
participate in this offence" a statement issued by the group and
circulating on the internet for more signatures says.

Already pre-signed by a number of renown Turkish intellectuals
including journalists, writers, jurists and human rights activists
involved in the campaign, the declaration demands controversial article
301 to be abolished immediately on grounds that it is an obstacle in
front of freedom of opinion and expression. .

The initiative has called on "everyone who is in an effort for the
democratization of Turkey and places importance in the freedom of
opinion and expression to undersign the text".

As Dink’s written opinions are part of an upcoming "Freedom of
Expression Booklet" that is challengingly collecting articles that have
been made subject to thought crime prosecutions in Turkey, a large
number of signatures are expected to be collected in the expanded
phase of the campaign to publish it together with all the signatures.

RSF: We are baffled

In a separate development, the Reporters Without Borders (RSF)
has said in a statement that it "was baffled" by the appeals court
decision to uphold Dink’s sentence "for referring to the 1915 genocide
against the Armenians".

"We are surprised by this conviction which is particularly shocking
for the entire profession," said the press freedom organization.

"This ruling will strengthen the climate of self-censorship on subjects
which are seen as sensitive by the Turkish state."

RSF said, "Turkey’s criminal law is among Europe’s most repressive
towards freedom of expression. It is unacceptable that criticism
of institutions or offences of opinion should be liable to prison
sentences. The criminal code, particularly Articles 301 and 125,
should be urgently amended to conform to European standards."

It recalled that Turkey had already been condemned at least five times
by the European Court of Human Rights since the start of 2006, for its
failure to respect free expression and that Dink was further facing up
to three years in prison in connection with another trial in which he
is accused of "trying to influence the course of justice". (EO/II/YE)

–Boundary_(ID_hieCd8t9bsai5J6EHhiSdQ) —