Al-Bawaba, Jordan
Jan 19 2007

Turkey: Prominent journalist shot dead

Posted: 19-01-2007 , 17:33 GMT

EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn condemned the assassination of
journalist Hrant Dink in Turkey Friday. "I am shocked and saddened by
this brutal act of violence," he said in a statement. Dink was shot
dead Friday at the entrance to his newspaper’s offices, police said

"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.

Rehn called on the Turkish authorities to fully "investigate this
crime and will bring the perpetrators to justice."

Dink, 53, faced many threats and legal proceedings as one of the most
prominent voices of Turkey’s Armenian community. He had gone on trial
numerous times for speaking out about the mass killings of Armenians
by Turks at the beginning of the 20th century.

In October 2005, Dink was convicted of trying to influence the
judiciary after his newspaper Agos ran stories criticizing a law
making it a crime to insult Turkey, the Turkish government or the
Turkish national character. He was given a six-month suspended
sentence.