AsiaNews.it, Italy
Jan 22 2007

Killing of Hrant Dink and Fr Santono: too many similarities

by Mavi Zambak

In both cases, killers are from Trabzon, are minors, have ties with
far-right circles, have no regrets and said they were acting in the
nation’s defence. A Christian accuses Turkish newspapers: "You killed
him," by denying the genocide of the Armenians and refusing a
historical inquest.

Istanbul (AsiaNews) – A teenager has been arrested and has confessed
to the murder of the Turkish journalist of Armenian origin, Hrant
Dink. Ogun Samast, who turns 18 at the end of January, has not
expressed any regret for his actions. A certain resemblance to the
circumstances of the murder of Fr Andrea Santoro is, to say the
least, remarkable: both murders were committed by persons from
Trabzon, both of whom are minors and drop-outs from school and have
ties with untra-nationalist environs; neither has displayed any sign
of regret. The motivation for both was the idea of defending their
nation.

In one newspaper, a Christian accuses the Turkish newspapers of being
those truly responsible for the killing.

"As a patriot," Samast said, "I was hurt by the words that I found on
Internet of the Armenian journalist and I do not regret my actions.
If I could, I would do it again. I decided that I would kill him and
I did so." These are the first words of a blood-chilling confession,
and the murder appears to have been premeditated for months with the
murderer having practised his shooting skills in a wooded area just
outside of Trabzon, the city in which Samast lived with his family.
This according to his friend, Yasin Hayal, who happens to also have a
criminal record for having bombed a McDonald’s restaurant, again in
Trabzon. That incident dates back to October 2004 when, during the
month of Ramadan, "disgusted by a birthday party that was being held
by some high school students in the restaurant," Yasin did not
hesitate to launch a bomb that seriously injured five children and
another six persons. He was sentenced and imprisoned, but, after 11
months, he was released on bail.

It seems that Ogun had met with him 3 days before the murder and that
his friend had urged him to kill without mercy on the grounds that
"no one can offend our race."

Thus, Samast went to Istanbul and after the Friday prayer at a mosque
waited two hours for the journalist to shoot him in cold blood at a
distance of not even one metre.

Relatives and friends of the assassin were shocked by the news,
saying that it was impossible that the young man could have done such
a thing. The uncle whom Samast had visited before committing the
murder says that his nephew is "like a child, who doesn’t even know
how to get around Istanbul; he dropped out of middle school, can’t
keep a job and is always broke." According to his uncle, there must
be an organization behind him that incited and guided him step by
step.

Various newspapers today are also asking the big question: how could
a teenager have committed this murder which seems to be the work of a
professional, considering also the pistol and the ammunition used?

Ten people are currently being questioned in Istanbul, but so far
police authorities have yet to release any official declaration on
probable political implications, even though many Turkish journalists
have suggested that the ultra-nationalist youth association BBP
(Great Union Party) is behind everything.

All have commented on the remarkable resemblance of this murder to
that of Fr Andrea Santoro not even a year ago.

Is it all just a coincidence?

Once again the city of Trabzon is in the spotlight.

A port city on the Black Sea with approximately one million
inhabitants, Trabzon had historically been known as a cosmopolitan
city given the peaceful coexistence of the different cultures, races
and religions, after the enormous and painful exchange of populations
between the Turks and the Greeks, mandated by Ataturk at the
beginning of the past century. It gradually became more and more a
closed, nationalistic and religiously fanatical city. According to
Abdurrahaman Yildirim of the Sabah newspaper, the country’s big
economic crisis in 2001 worsened the situation and the city has yet
to recover. Unemployment is high and teenagers and young people
often gather in gangs to pass the time. The general situation in the
city seems to be getting worse and worse and this could explain why
the city has become a centre for violent nationalistic organizations
that feed on prevailing anger and discontent.

In fact, Adem Solak, lecturer at the Black Sea University and
therapist of Fr Andrea’s killer, had warned, after the assassination
of the Roman priest, that similar incidents could occur again in
Trabzon and had invited relevant civil authorities to deal with the
city’s youth issues, citing the problem of the lack of any
educational programme aimed at wayward young people who model their
behaviour and opinions solely on media sources that preach
fanaticism, nationalistic pride and that incite them to make heroic
gestures as a means to emerge from the anonymity to which they are
otherwise condemned.

Fittingly significant is the intense reaction of a Christian who for
obvious reasons wishes to remain anonymous: "You have killed
him…yes, Dink was killed by those of you who raise your voices like
swords against all those who speak of the genocide of the
Armenians…You have fueled these nationalistic groups…those of you
who do not accept a historical-scientific inquest into the Armenian
tragedy…They are fanatical but you are nationalistic…ready to
condemn anyone who uses the word Turkey in vain. Enough with saving
an image; now is the time to begin redeeming freedom of thought in
the country…they kill and you provide the template for a way of
thinking that provides an excuse for killing. You did this also with
Fr Andrea… with all your accusations against Christians, against
so-called missionaries, against priests…If only I could say these
works openly without fear of being killed…You have dug a grave and
have fallen in it. Down with ideology…historical truth is based on
a scientific method. Down with slander. Be more concerned with the
goodness of the state than with the good name of the state. Now you
too are afraid…be careful of what you write, and how you say
things… That man was condemned by your own laws, a man whom you
yourselves are defending today for his courage, his freedom of
thought, his love for the place in which he was born and died, and
for which he died. You have defended him because you want to defend
yourselves but this was not done for Fr Andrea…how many slanderous
articles are still before our eyes…he was a priest, different from
you. Let’s save diversity in this country."

Hrant Dink’s funeral will be held tomorrow in Istanbul. The funeral
procession will begin at 11 a.m. and a civil ceremony will be held in
front of the doorway of Agos’ editorial offices, the scene of the
murder. The funeral will be held at 2 p.m. at the Armenian church of
Kumkapi, dedicated to the Mother of God, seat of the Armenian
patriarchate where less than a month ago Pope Benedict XVI visited
and prayed.

Foreign minister Abdullah Gul officially invited the Armenian
ambassador and the European and American religious leaders of the
Armenian diaspora, announcing that the Turkish government will cover
all costs for the ceremony and for hospitality.

This decision was taken after the minister spoke with New York’s
Armenian Archbishop Barsamyan to extend a warm invitaiton to "make a
historic gesture of communion." An invitation that was accepted and
that can be considered the first fruit of Hrant Dink’s death.

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