Hartford Courant, CT
Jan 26 2007

A Death In Istanbul

January 26, 2007

Free speech is a concept Americans take for granted, but it is a
precious commodity in many parts of the world.

That sad fact has been demonstrated once again by the murder of Hrant
Dink, a Turkish-Armenian journalist whose "crime" was to stand by his
beliefs.

Mr. Dink was a staunch defender of free speech. He had been
prosecuted, like so many others before him, for "insulting
Turkishness" by speaking out against a law, Article 301 of the
Turkish penal code, often used to stifle free expression.

Mr. Dink, 52, who was editor of Agos, an Armenian-language newspaper,
had been criticized for his views on the massacre of 1.5 million
Armenians by Ottoman Turks during World War I. He worked for human
rights and for reconciliation between Christian Armenians and Turkish
Muslims. He was the 19th Turkish journalist in the past 15 years to
be killed because of his work, according to the Committee to Protect
Journalists.

Too many writers and intellectuals have been prosecuted under Article
301 for speaking their minds. Shortly after the editor received a
six-month suspended jail sentence, he was shot down on the street in
front of his office in Istanbul. Five Turks have been charged in the
murder, allegedly carried out by Ogun Samast, a 17-year-old who is
suspected of being a member of a militant group.

This is an abomination on so many levels, not the least of which is
the twisted influence on a boy so young.

Ironically, Mr. Dink declared, when sentenced last fall, that his
persecution had a positive effect because it had forced a national
debate on what it means to be a democracy. Indeed, thousands turned
out for his funeral and demonstrations took place around the world.

His killing has led to a call for a change in the law and some
conciliatory gestures between historic enemies. The unfettered right
to speak the truth without fear of reprisal would be a fitting
tribute to a martyr who paid the highest price to defend it.