Reporters without borders (press release), France
July 18 2007

Six months after editor’s murder, authorities warned that incomplete
trial will not be accepted

Reporters Without Borders today voiced its support for the demands
of the family, friends and colleagues of Hrant Dink, a newspaper
editor of Armenian descent who was gunned down in Istanbul exactly
six months ago on 19 January 2007.

"We call on the authorities to pursue their investigation and to shed
light on all aspects of this case," the press freedom organisation
said. "The trial of Dink’s alleged murderers that opened on 2 July
in Istanbul and is due to have its next hearing on 1 October, is a
crucial test for the Turkish judicial system. Its independence is at
stake here."

Reporters Without Borders added: "We will not be satisfied with a
trial in which only some of those responsible for Dink’s murder are
in the dock. All those who played a role must be identified including,
if necessary, those who work for the security services. It is essential
that the judicial system should expose the various connections between
military, police and other officials that may have been involved in
this case."

Reporters Without Borders went to Istanbul for the opening of the trial
and saw the size of the demonstration outside. "We are all witnesses
and we want justice," said one of the banners displayed by the many
demonstrators gathered outside the courthouse.

Born in 1954, Dink was the editor of the weekly Agos, Turkey’s leading
Armenian newspaper. For years he had been urging his fellow citizens
to face up to the issue of the Armenian genocide in 1915.

Although the target of threats and accusations, he always refused to
leave Turkey.

He said in his last interview: "It is here that I want to pursue the
fight, because it is not just my fight, it is the fight of all those
who want Turkey to be democratised. If I give up and leave the country,
it will be a shame for everyone. My ancestors lived in this country,
it is here that I have my roots, and I have the right to die in the
country where I was born."

The 18 defendants are all from Trabzon, a Black Sea city with a
reputation for ultra-nationalist violence. The youngest defendant,
Ogun Samast, 17, is the one who is alleged to have fired the shots
that killed Dink. The two defendants who allegedly got him to do it,
Erhan Tuncel and Yasin Hayal, face life imprisonment. The other 15
defendants are charged with complicity.