Democracy Now, NY
Jan 23 2007
Over 50,000 March in Istanbul in Funeral Procession for Slain
Turkish-Armenian Editor Hrant Dink
Listen to Segment |
Dink was assassinated on Friday outside his office shortly after
receiving death threats by Turkish nationalists for his writings
about the Armenian genocide of 1915. We speak to Zanku Armenian of
the Armenian National Committee of America. [includes rush
transcript]
Today is the funeral of prominent Turkish newspaper editor Hrant Dink
who was shot dead outside of his office last Friday. Dink had
recently received death threats by Turkish nationalists for his
writings about the Armenian genocide of 1915. Hrant Dink was a
Turkish citizen of Armenian descent who was at the forefront of
efforts challenging the official Turkish denial that the mass
killings of Armenians by Turks during World War I was genocide.
Seven suspects have been arrested in connection with Dink"s murder
including a 17 year old who has confessed to the crime. Police
officials have said a well- known nationalist militant has admitted
he provided a gun and money to the teenager. Over 50,000 people have
taken to the streets to follow Dink’s coffin. The only banner in the
procession will read, "We are all Hrant Dink, We are all Armenian."
Dink was also a staunch defender of free speech. This is him last
October speaking about a French law which makes it a crime to deny
the Armenian genocide.
Hrant Dink, speaking in October, 2006.
Zanku Armenian joins us now from Los Angeles. He is with the Armenian
National Committee of America.
Zanku Armenian, member of the Armenian National Committee of America
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RUSH TRANSCRIPT
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AMY GOODMAN: This is Hrant Dink last October speaking about a French
law which makes it a crime to deny the Armenian genocide. We’ll play
that in a moment, but first we’re going to go to Los Angeles to speak
with Zanku Armenian. He is with the Armenian National Committee of
America. Welcome to Democracy Now!
ZANKU ARMENIAN: Thank you for having me, Amy.
AMY GOODMAN: Can you talk about the significance of Hrant Dink, who
he was, what he stood for, how he died?
ZANKU ARMENIAN: Well, Hrant Dink was not only a leader in the
Armenian context, but also in terms of Turkish society. He was one of
those brave and courageous people who decided to stick his neck out
and speak about the truth, the truth about the Armenian genocide, and
in his attempt to educate Turkish citizenry about the Armenian
genocide and start a dialogue, and for that, he paid with his life,
unfortunately. And the significance is that he was prepared to put
his life on the line. He had an opportunity to leave the country
several times, but he said he wanted to stick with the country where
he had decided to make a difference in society.
And the interesting thing here, Amy, is that, you know, there is a
very large segment in Turkish society that clearly seems ready and
willing to deal with its past, come to terms with it, analyze it,
discuss it. However, the Turkish government, in its more aggressive
and extremist point of view, with its continual denials, seems to be
creating this environment where intolerance and hatred and these
sorts of extremist acts are actually emboldened and encouraged.
AMY GOODMAN: I wanted to play this clip that we have of Hrant Dink.
And again, he is speaking last October about a French law which makes
it a crime to deny the Armenian genocide.
HRANT DINK: [translated] We should not be a pawn for the irrational
attitude between the two states. I am being sued in Turkey, because I
said that there was genocide, which is my own belief. But I will go
to France to protest against this madness and violate the new French
law, if I see it necessary, and I will commit the crime to be
prosecuted there.
AMY GOODMAN: That was Hrant Dink. Zanku Armenian, your response to
what he had to say last October?
ZANKU ARMENIAN: Well, you know, Hrant Dink was a man who had his very
independent thinking on these sorts of issues. You know, in France,
there’s also a law on the books where you cannot deny the Holocaust.
And the reason those laws are on the books and the reason the
Armenian law is being proposed is because, you know, you do have
extremist viewpoints that sometimes, you know, on these sorts of
matters that are of great tragic periods in our history, you know,
there are those elements that want to deny it.
However, Amy, he was also very passionate about freedom of speech,
and there’s no denying the fact that that was kind of the point he
was making for his own society, that he wanted to fight against
Article 301 of Turkish criminal code, which makes it illegal for
anyone to insult Turkishness, which, of course, can be very broadly
defined. And the current Turkish government, you know, and successive
Turkish governments had prosecuted Hrant Dink five times in the last
five years, so it’s kind of the height of hypocrisy, when the current
government comes out and expresses condolences and condemns the
murder, when it was they who were prosecuting the guy for expressing
freedom of thought, you know, expressing his free thoughts about the
Armenian genocide and trying to start a dialogue between the Turkish
people —
AMY GOODMAN: Zanku Armenian, for people who don’t understand, can you
explain very briefly the Armenian genocide, what it was, what the
Turkish government is denying?
ZANKU ARMENIAN: Yeah, the Armenian genocide occurred in 1915. 1.5
million Armenians who used to live in Turkey as Turkish citizens were
driven from their homes. The men were summarily executed throughout
the country. The population mostly lived in eastern Turkey with a
very important pocket of the population also in current-day Istanbul.
And the government at that time, under the guise of World War I,
decided that this would be a good time to eliminate what they called
the Armenian problem. And so, they drove the Armenian population
south through the desert, and along the way, you know, shot, killed,
raped men, women and children. And in terms of the communities they
lived in in eastern Turkey, they burned down villages, their houses,
churches. There are thousands of Armenian churches, centuries-old
churches that still exist in eastern Turkey, that are used for target
practice by the Turkish military today, because they want to get rid
of all evidence of the former Armenian population. So, in today’s
Turkey, there’s only about 30,000 or 40,000 Armenians left in a
community in Istanbul, and Hrant Dink was one of the leaders of that
community.
AMY GOODMAN: Have you heard about what happened today? Reuters is
reporting some 50,000 people marched in the funeral of Hrant Dink.
ZANKU ARMENIAN: Yes, I have heard of it. I heard the news. And, you
know, Amy, that is really the example of what I mentioned earlier,
where there is a very important part of the Turkish population that
is ready and willing to deal with the issue of the Armenian genocide,
their own history. But it is the Turkish government who has created
this environment of fear and intimidation, where people are afraid to
discuss openly their own history. Their own school —
AMY GOODMAN: And the US — since you’re talking to a world audience,
but also a US audience — the US government, what about its
relationship with Turkey?
ZANKU ARMENIAN: The US government is complicit in this issue, as
well, unfortunately, Amy. I’m very ashamed, as an American citizen,
to say that, because the State Department helps Turkey and emboldens
Turkey in their very aggressive Armenian genocide denial campaign.
They are part and parcel of that denial campaign. For example, they
did not raise the issue with Hrant Dink, you know, several times —
raise the issue of threats against him and his persecution and
prosecution under the law. The State Department never did anything
about it. On the Armenian genocide resolution, which has been
introduced in successive congresses and is about to be introduced
again in this congress, you know, the State Department is getting
ready to mount very aggressive opposition with the government of
Turkey against our own government here in the United States from
acknowledging the facts of the Armenian genocide.
AMY GOODMAN: Zanku Armenian, we’re going to have to leave it there. I
want to thank you for being with us, with the Armenian National
Committee of America.
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