Amnesty International Condemns Murder of Hrant Dink
Posted on : Fri, 19 Jan 2007 20:31:01 GMT | Author : Amnesty International
USA
News Category : PressRelease
WASHINGTON, Jan. 19 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — Amnesty International
deplores the murder today of the prominent Turkish-Armenian journalist
Hrant Dink. The organization believes that he was targeted because of
his work as a journalist who championed freedom of expression.
"This horrifying assassination silences one of Turkey’s bravest human
rights defenders," said Maureen Greenwood-Basken, Amnesty
International USA (AIUSA) advocacy director for Europe and Central
Asia. "Writers put their lives on the line when they cover human
rights violations, as the cases of Russian journalist Anna
Politkovskaya, and now Hrant Dink, brutally illustrate.
"But 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speech such as Article 301 must be repealed.
"The U.S. government, as one of Turkey’s closest allies, should push
for a full and transparent investigation into Dink’s murder." AIUSA
is a longstanding advocate of freedom of speech in Turkey and around
the world. In an online action in October 2006, AIUSA activists sent
thousands of messages urging repeal of Article 301.
Dink, editor of the newspaper Agos and contributor to the influential
daily Zaman, was reportedly shot three times today in Istanbul outside
the Agos offices. He was 53. Dink was a passionate promoter of the
universality of human rights who appeared on different platforms with
human rights activists, journalists and intellectuals across the
political spectrum. Best known for his willingness to debate openly
and critically issues of Armenian identity and official versions of
history in Turkey relating to the massacres of Armenians in 1915, Dink
also wrote widely on issues of democratization and human rights.
"In Turkey there are still a number of harsh laws which endorse the
suppression of freedom of speech," said Nicola Duckworth, Europe and
Central Asia programme director at Amnesty International. "These laws,
coupled with the persisting official statements by senior government,
state and military officials condemning critical debate and dissenting
opinion, create an atmosphere in which violent attacks can take
place."
Last year, Dink was prosecuted for the third time on charges of
"denigrating Turkishness" under Article 301 of the Turkish Penal
Code. Amnesty International called for the repeal of that law and
condemned his prosecution as part of a pattern of judicial harassment
against him for peacefully expressing his dissenting opinion. Dink had
already been given a six-month suspended prison sentence in July 2006
following an October 2005 conviction on charges of "denigrating
Turkishness."
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 Dink’s murder 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.
Contact: Jason Opena Disterhoft of Amnesty International USA,
+1-202-544-0200, ext. 302
Amnesty International USA