Turkish Journalist’s Murder Denounced by ”Screamers” Film Director
Business Wire (press release), CA
Jan 22 2007
LOS ANGELES–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Hrant Dink, who was killed yesterday
and has been generally known for speaking out about the need for
Turkey to be open about its past, including the Armenian genocide,
voiced similar concerns in the documentary "Screamers," which is
opening in theatres in New York and Washington, DC on January 26th
distributed by Maya Releasing.
"Hrant Dink has long been a voice for tolerance and understanding,
and it is inconceivable that this message was not heard by the criminal
who took his life away," says "Screamers" director Carla Garapedian.
Dink was the editor of the Agos newspaper and was shot to death on
the street in front of his office Friday in Istanbul. Garapedian
interviewed Dink in Istanbul for "Screamers" to discuss the
pressures being faced by people who want to speak freely about the
Armenian genocide – notably himself, Orhan Pamuk and publisher Ragip
Zaracolou. In the film, he explains that many people in Turkey cannot
comprehend that their predecessors would be perpetrators of genocide.
"Because they’re against genocide and wouldn’t commit it themselves,
they can’t believe their ancestors would have done such things
either." It’s a battle, he said, for hearts and minds.
"Dink knew very well the danger of speaking freely for what he
believed in," says Garapedian. "Like his friend Orhan Pamuk, he was
under prosecution, under Article 301, for ‘insulting the Turkish
state.’" "There has to be a process for a people to have the right
to know the truth," Dink told Garapedian in Turkey. "The progressive
elements of Turkey are working in this direction and those outside
should help us in this direction."
On Friday, Dink lost his fight for peace and democracy in Turkey.
"When I interviewed him for the film he told me his life had
been threatened many times," says Garapedian. "They are always
making threats by phone or email," Dink told her. "I cannot be as
free as normal people, I have to be careful, always looking over my
shoulder." Dink spoke about his friend, Nobel prize-winner Orhan Pamuk,
who has also faced daily threats after saying a million Armenians
were killed by the Ottoman Turks.
After "Screamers" was released in Los Angeles last December, Garapedian
asked the Turkish government for a response to the film.
Weeks later, the government issued a statement saying that the
Turkish government would redouble its efforts to combat the "lies"
being disseminated by the Armenian diaspora. Yesterday, the government
condemned the killing of Hrant Dink. "Whatever they have said, I can
only think their call to deny the genocide sent a green light to those
forces of extremism in Turkey that are only too ready to rely on the
gun," said Garapedian.
This week "Screamers," which examines genocide denial in the last
century, from the Armenian Genocide, to the Holocaust, Cambodia,
Rwanda and Darfur, was shown at the Library of Congress, to a
standing-room only crowd of over 200 people. Attendees included 7
members of Congress and numerous young staffers all among the over 100
million fans of the band, System of a Down, who are featured in the
film. The event was sponsored by Congressman Adam Schiff, Save Darfur
and the ANCA. Dink’s words were heard by members of Congress and echoed
in the halls of the Library of Congress. As Dink told Garapedian,
"Those who live in a democracy may not be able to comprehend why
someone can not accept their past. What they may not realize is that
the person they are talking to is not as open-minded as they are."
"The last time I saw him was in November for our AFI premiere in
Los Angeles, smiling as usual," said Garapedian. "He was a true
democrat with a big heart and the courage to move forward, no matter
the danger. Dink, in his own way, was a Screamer. I feel very honored
to have known him."