KurdishInfo.com
Nationalists Surface After Dink’s Funeral
Date: Monday, January 29 @ 15:02:46 CST
Topic: toplum-yaþam
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Bianet-Thousands marched in assassinated Turkish-Armenian writer Hrant
Dink’s funeral. Nationalist and racist reaction rise following chanted
slogans "We’re all Armenians". Debate on article 301 continues as five
suspects get arrested on the case.

Repercussions of the assassination of Turkish-Armenian writer Hrant
Dink and his funeral, where hundreds of thousands of people gathered
to condemn the killing, continue.

Dink was gunned down in front of the offices of his newspaper Agos on
January 19.

The killing suspect was caught the following day and several people
who were claimed to solicit the murder have been taken under custody.

Governor removed from office

The Black Sea port of Trabzon, the hometown of Dink killing suspect
Ogun Samast continues to dominate the headlines last week.

Samast and four others were arrested on three different charges,
including manslaughter, affiliation to an armed group and breach of
armed weapons act last Thursday.

The prosecution didn’t classify the murder as a terror act, which
would result in heavier penalties for the convicts.

The government removed chief of police and the governor of the city
for their lack of control over the rising politically motivated crimes
by nationalists.

The Ministry of Internal Affairs also commissioned two inspectors to
interrogate on administrative failures to prevent such crimes in the
city.

An Italian priest was murdered in 2005 in Trabzon and members a
leftist group, Solidarity Association of Prisoners’ Families (TAYAD)
faced public lynching several times in 2006 during street protests.

Nationalist reaction to Dink’s funeral

The slogans voiced at Dink’s funeral on January 23, "We’re all Hrant,
we’re all Armenians" caused a stir in nationalist circles.

Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) vice chair Mehmet Sandýr described
the funeral as "an insult to the Turkish people and a daring challenge
to the Turkish state". "We’re all Turks and this is Turkey", he
added.

Daily Tercuman’s headliner read "We’re all Turks" the day following.

Hurriyet newspaper conducted a survey regarding on its website where
463 thousand people participated and 47 percent voted to favor the
slogan and 52 percent objected.

36 year old Nihat Acar kidnapped a ferry that run on the Dardanelles
for three hours on Saturday night, in protest for the slogan "We’re
all Armenians". He was arrested as he gave in waving a Turkish flag.

During a first division football game played yesterday between
Trabzonspor and Kayserispor, supporters chanted nationalist and racist
slogans.

Threats continue

Nationalist and racist reactions are most evident and harsh on the
Internet.

Agos newspaper received a bomb threat by e-mail, signed as Turkish
Revenge Brigade (TÝT), a notorious clandestine group responsible for
several killings of leftist militants during 1980’s.

Dink murder suspect Samast’s friend and alleged sollicitor of the
killing Yasin Hayal threathened writer Orhan Pamuk as he was taken
under custody.

Article 301 debates

On another account, NGO’s and activists continue to voice their
requests for the abolition of the article 301 of the Penal Code, which
defines a charge of "insulting Turkishness", punishable by prison
sentences.

Lastly, a local journalist from Sinop filed a complaint on article 301
for those who attended Dink’s funeral.

Hrant Dink was condemned to a deferred 6 months prison sentence in
relation to this article. Numerous journalists and writers -including
2006 Nobel Literature laureate Orhan Pamuk- also stood trial on this
article.

The government hinted a possible reform on the article but
commentators say it’s not likely to realize given the general
elections in November this year.

Such a change would harm nationalist votes, they claim as the main
opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) stands by the existing
article.

CHP leader Deniz Baykal as well as popular columnists like Emin
Colasan say that the removal of the article would excuse treasonous
comments and insulting the Turkish state.

29.01.2007