TURKISH POLITICAL FORCES SPEAK OF THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE
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[06:58 pm] 19 September, 2006
Hrant Dink, Armenian editor of Turkish "Akos" newspaper (published
in Turkey) has appealed to the European Court of Human Rights.
The representatives of the Turkish judicial system accuse Hrant
Dink of slandering Turks. "I am not a racist and I haven’t committed
any disgraceful act. I merely use the term genocide which is but a
reality," announced Mr. Dink during his meeting with journalists in
the club "Mirror" today.
In case the European Court doesn’t recover the editor’s rights, he is
going to leave Turkey. "If they don’t respect me and consider their
enemy, I cannot live in that country any longer."
Hrant Dink claims that the Turkish authorities are seriously
concerned as the 1915 genocide has become the theme of consideration
and contemplation even among the Turkish intelligentsia. "This is why
Turkey started to teach pupils of elementary and secondary schools that
in 1915 Armenians massacred Turks and not the vice versa." The Turkish
authorities started to pursue Dink after his announcement in which Dink
said that all Armenians all over the world speak of the 1915 genocide,
whereas the Armenians living in Turkey don’t even venture to show their
respect towards the innocent victims of April 24. Hrant Dink mainatins
that ordinary people in Turkey are unaware of the events of 1915,
and the authorities do their best to distort the reality. Mr. Dink
thinks that the Armenian genocide can be recognized by Turkey only in
two cases; either under the pressure of the international community
or by the demand of its people. In his opinion the two countries under
question may come to an agreement provided the second version works.