Armenian National Committee of Canada
130 Albert St., Suite 1007
Ottawa, ON
KIP 5G4
Tel. (613) 235-2622 Fax (613) 238-2622
E-mail:national.office@anc-canada.com
www .anccanada.org

For Immediate Release

January 22, 2007
Contact Kevork Manguelian

Tel. (613) 235-2622

Toothless Statement from the Canadian Embassy

OTTAWA–The statement of mourning by the Canadian Embassy in Turkey
for the assassination of Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink last
Friday has been described as toothless by the president of the Armenian
National Committee of Canada (ANCC).

The committee said that a "stronger" and a "clearer" message should
have been sent to the Turkish government, whose policies have
created an unrelenting hate atmosphere towards Armenians living in
that country.

"Unfortunately, the embassy’s ambiguous statement does not render
justice to Hrant Dink’s memory and his lifelong mission as a human
rights’ advocate and a builder of bridges between Armenians and Turks,"
said Jean Meguerditchian, president of ANCC. It is ironic that at a
time when Foreign Minister Peter Mackay has called for a historians’
commission and a dialogue between Armenians and Turks, the proponent
of such a dialogue is assassinated, added the president of ANCC.

"Hrant Dink paid with his life and blood for what our Foreign Minister
Peter Mackay called for last November," said Meguerditchian. "This
despicable murder is an assault not only for what the minister called
for but also an attack on the freedom of speech, a principle which
we hold dearly, and the safety of the Armenian community in Turkey.

"A stronger and clearer condemnation from our government would have
sent a clear message to the Turkish government that the Canadian
government and the people of Canada will not tolerate any more
hypocrisy from Ankara. After all, it is the Turkish government’s
Armenian Genocide denial policy, indoctrinated over decades in the
school system, judicial intimidation (through article 301 of the
penal code), and political blackmail (of countries which recognized
the Armenian Genocide) which created this unrelenting hate atmosphere
that led to the murder of Hrant Dink," concluded Meguerditchian.

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The Canadian Embassy Statement: "We deeply regret the tragic
killing of Hrant Dink, a respected journalist and human rights
advocate. On behalf of Canadians, we extend our deepest condolences
to his family and friends, and express our strong hope that his
murderer will be brought to justice as quickly as possible."

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The ANCC is the largest and the most influential Canadian-Armenian
grassroots political organization. Working in coordination with a
network of offices, chapters, and supporters throughout Canada and
affiliated organizations around the world, the ANCC actively advances
the concerns of the Canadian-Armenian community on a broad range
of issues.

Regional Chapters Montreal – Laval – Ottawa – Toronto – Hamilton –
Cambridge – St. Catharines – Windsor – Vancouver