Minnesota Daily, MN
Jan 31 2007
Turks investigate U prof
A visiting professor is charged with insulting Turkishness after
writing book.
By Kathryn Nelson, Conrad Wilson
ore than 90 years after the Armenian genocide, University professor
Taner Akçam is in the middle of a controversial debate that recently
turned deadly.
The murder of Hrant Dink, a prominent Armenian newspaper editor in
Turkey, sent shockwaves around the world. It especially hit home for
Akçam, a visiting professor in the University’s Center for Holocaust
and Genocide Studies.
Akçam has been accused of insulting Turkishness because of his
outspoken position on the existence of the Armenian genocide and his
recently published book, "A Shameful Act." Now he faces similar
accusations as Dink, which contributed to the journalist’s death on
Jan. 19.
"He was shot on the street in front of his newspaper," Akçam said.
"He was murdered."
Armenian editor Dink and Turkish columnist Akçam both faced scrutiny
for their positions on the Armenian/Turkish issue.
Subsequently, the men have been investigated under a Turkish law that
is often associated with speaking against the government for
committing genocide.
"We both had one objective: … to stop the discrimination against
minorities in Turkey, to end the distortion in Turkish history and to
change the perversion of what it means to be Turkish," Akçam said.
Though Dink was outspoken about the crimes against the Armenian
people, Akçam said Dink never used the word "genocide."
"Any time (Dink) was asked if genocide took place or not, he always
cracked a smile," Akçam said. "He didn’t place a lot of importance on
the term. He would always say, ‘I know what happened to my people.’ "
Only once, during an interview with Reuters in 2006, did Dink use the
word genocide.
"He hesitated to use it in Turkish context, because he told me,
‘Taner, when I use this term, it creates a certain tension,
animosity, and my message cannot go though.
Daily
That’s why I’m not using (it) and, because for me, the important
thing is my message goes through.’"
Shortly after Dink’s interview, the Turkish government filed a
criminal complaint against him.
In August 2006, Akçam wrote an article in support of Dink’s position.
The Turkish government then filed a criminal complaint against Akçam.
"I wrote for everyone reading this article to participate in this
crime that Hrant is accused of," Akçam said.
He attended Dink’s funeral in Istanbul on Jan. 23.
Human rights groups Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have
called for the repealing of Article 301, the law Akçam is charged
with breaking, citing that it poses a direct threat to freedom of
expression.
Turkishness "is not defined in the law, so the judges and the
nationalists have a very vague definition of this term and they are
attacking the individuals," Akçam said.
The Middle East Studies Association of North America wrote a letter
to the Prime Minister of Turkey, claiming that scholars and public
intellectuals writing about the Armenian/Turkish issue "operate in an
atmosphere of increased intimidation." The organization specifically
cites Dink’s death and Akçam’s safety.
University of Louisville professor Justin McCarthy sits at the other
side of the spectrum.
McCarthy said he believes the Armenian/Turkish issue was a mutual
clash in which both sides were well-armed and responsible for deaths.
He contests that the deportation of Armenians was a relocation
strategy of the Turkish government, similar to the internment of
Japanese-Americans in 1942 by the United States, but, he said, with
much better reason.
McCarthy said there is a historical bias against the Turkish people
who were simply acting in a justified manner against the Armenians.
With a background in demography, McCarthy said the numbers of
Armenians killed during this time has been inflated. He places the
deaths at 600,000 instead of the 1 million to 1.5 million that are
generally accepted.
McCarthy said he believes the Armenian people are held as "higher
specimens" over the Turks.
In the past, he said, the Armenians have killed some 30 Turkish
diplomats. But, "how many of them got a picture on the front page of
The New York Times?"
William Jones, an expert on Turkey with Amnesty International, said
Article 301 has led to corruption in the country.
"What has happened in Turkey is that the Article 301 has become a
favorite piece of the penal code that’s being used by right-wing
nationalists to bring cases against people."
Along with Dink and Akçam, other prominent scholars such as Orhan
Pamuk, who recently won the Nobel Prize in literature, have been
charged under Article 301.
"Amnesty (International) has been calling for the abolishment for
Article 301 for some time," Jones said.
Dink’s assassination shows similarities to other murders in the past
year, Akçam said.
"Behind all these activities, there is always a retired army officer
or a group of army officers, and there is a pattern with all these
assassinations and attacks."
Jones acknowledged an extremist movement, but he said no one knows if
this group exists.
"Dink became a target through these people who were using 301 against
him," he said. "It got his name in the press."
The Daily contacted the Turkish Embassy in Washington, but it was
unavailable for comment.
Akçam’s book, "A Shameful Act," recounts the Turkish government’s
involvement in the Armenian genocide and was recently nominated for a
Minnesota Book Award.