ABOUT TO KISS THE ASSASSIN’S FOREHEAD
By H. Chaqrian

AZG Armenian Daily
06/02/2007

Security Services, According to "Radical" Making a Hero of Hrant
Dink’s Murderer Samast

In 36 hours after Hrant Dink’s murder the security forces of Turkey
detained Ogun Samast in the region of Samsun. Major Turkish newspapers,
publishing the photograph of the murderer were asking a question,
"how did the Turkish flag with Ataturk’s device "The native land is
holy andits fate cannot be left to chance" appear on the background
of the photo".

Experts, sent by Prime Minister Erdogan to Samsun, found out that
the photograph was made at the Samsun Office of the Turkish National
Security Service’s Anti-Terror Department. Apparently, a criminal case
will be roused against the photographers for violating the law about
national state emblems. Nevrtheless, neither the photograph itself,
neither its implication of making a hero of the murderer, rouses such
interest as a video recording, broadcast by one of the private Turkish
TV channels on February 1. The video tape shows servicemen of Turkish
Police and Gendarme departments welcoming Samast as a hero and making
a cue to take a photo with him on the background of the aforementioned
flag. The leading newspapers of Turkey reacted rather griveously to
the recording. "They were about to kiss the assasin’s forehead, says
"Radical".

On February 2 the Head Command of the Turkish Gendarmerie denied
all the publicationc concerning the photograph of Samast. The
representatives of the service stated that the publication of the
tape was specially aimed at discrediting and defaming the Turkish
law enforcement structures and the military forces.