Southeast European Times, MD
March 2 2007

Bloggers ask "Who is responsible for Hrant Dink’s murder?"
02/03/2007

Turkish bloggers are divided over who is responsible for the January
murder of Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink in front of his
Istanbul office. The list of possible culprits is a long and
controversial one.

By Deniz Gungen for Southeast European Times – 02/03/07

The murder of journalist Hrant Dink is a loss for the country,
bloggers say. [Getty Images]

The murder of Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink in January is a
hot topic in the blogging sphere.

Many bloggers are split over who was responsible for the murder, as
the list of possible suspects is long.

Abdussametkandemir comments that "this assassination, in fact,
demonstrates how far the enemy within reached," suggesting that some
state officials were involved in the murder. He claims that Turkish
officials "warned" Dink in a "private meeting" about changing the
contents of his writings two years before his death, but that the
government failed to take precautionary measures when it received
reliable intelligence about Dink’s forthcoming assassination. As a
result, "Turkey is rapidly losing the prestige it earned after
successfully hosting the Champions League Final game, the NATO Summit
and the Formula 1," he adds.

On the other hand, Muraddogan’s blog suggests, "those protecting the
country with the ‘love it or leave it mentality’ are responsible for
the assassination. "Those," he adds, "have been memorising the same
rhetoric, and labeling others’ views as secessionist". They are
"walking the streets freely" in search of those "disrespectful to
Turkishness, and they are the ones responsible for the assassination
of Dink," he concludes.

Some bloggers, however, are more explicit in their views.
Muzafferozturk’s blog claims that Dink’s assassins intended to
"create social tension", in order to "destabilise the country" and
"create a weak Turkey in the Middle East", suggesting that the real
assassin is not "an independent gunmen driven by ethnic feelings" but
international "imperialist" ideologies and those who execute them.

Other bloggers share a belief that the ruling party, the Justice and
Development Party (AKP), should be held responsible for the
assassination. W at forebru.com argues that the ministries of the AKP
government "knew about the assassination [because] the police
informants reported the assassins and the details of their plans in
advance". Although the government failed to prevent the
assassination, it claimed "credit" for apprehending the suspects
within a short period of time. "So," W notes, "can an arrest of a
suspect whom you already identified be described as ‘success’?"

Though Turkish bloggers may not agree on who murdered Dink, they are
united in their support of the political rights he promoted in his
articles and speeches. Their comments may be an indicator of the
level of democracy in Turkey.