Today’s Zaman Ýstanbul
17.09.2007

Source: =detay&link=122341

Song praising Dink murderers sparks outrage

A new song by folksinger Ýsmail Türüt, which covertly praises the men
involved in the assassination of Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant
Dink, has caused anger, resentment and grief throughout much of
Turkish society.

Ýsmail Türüt

Three ministries have also taken action following news stories on the
ultra-nationalist song that an anonymous fan used to make a video
showing Hrant Dink and Father Andrea Santoro, an Italian priest who
was killed in the Black Sea region. The Justice Ministry and the
Interior Ministry have started an investigation; meanwhile Minister of
Culture and Tourism Ertuðrul Günay issued a stern statement, saying he
had read the news reports "in horror." Günay said the government would
do everything within its power to make access to the online video clip
impossible.

"The song includes intentional cues to fan feelings of hatred and
enmity within society," Günay observed. The Human Rights Association
(ÝHD) called for a boycott of Türüt and announced that it would be
filing a criminal complaint against the singer.

"Is it possible for society to function well as long as people who are
bold about praising a cowardly and abject murder are respected in
various sections of society and have their own television shows?"
questioned journalist Ergun Babahan.

Many who were close friends of Dink were grieved by the song. "Even
child pornography is innocent compared to this," commented Gökhan
Özgün, a columnist for Radikal daily. Lawyers representing the Dink
family called on prosecutors to act. "The song incites murder," said
Kazým Bayraktar, who heads the Contemporary Legal Professionals
Association.

Although the video was produced by a fan, the lyrics of Türüt’s song,
written by Ozan Arif, a much-loved poet of the ultra-nationalists, are
clearly praising the teenager who shot Hrant Dink on Jan. 17. Türüt
denies his song has any racist implications, but references to the
names of the teenager and Yasin Hayal, accused of soliciting the hit
man, are present in the song — concealed in rather basic wordplay.

The song also makes a clear reference to the Santoro murder. "Stop
ringing bells/stop being pro-Armenian/the people won’t swallow
that/not in the Black Sea region." A picture of Father Santoro is
shown in the video when Türüt sings the line "Stop ringing bells," and
footage from Dink’s funeral is displayed, in which hundreds of
thousands of mourners holding banners reading "We are all Armenian"
formed a long procession on the streets of Ýstanbul. A photo of Dink’s
dead body in front of his newspaper Agos is shown as the words of the
song "If somebody sells out the motherland/they will immediately die"
are being sung.

Türüt denies allegations

Meanwhile, Star daily reported that the fan who made the video clip to
the song was a Turkish worker living in Vienna. An earlier version of
the video featured a picture of Evren Ýlhan, the man allegedly behind
the disturbing string of images.

Türüt meanwhile defended himself, saying, "I have nothing to do with
the video. I only wanted to draw attention to the games being played
in the Black Sea region. I enjoyed singing the lyrics."

Arif, the songwriter said, "I haven’t heard about the video. It must
have been one of the Internet ‘birds’. The lyrics to this piece were
written by me. I stand behind every line — every single word." Saying
he was sorry about the Dink assassination, the songwriter continued,
"However, the slogan ‘We are all Armenian’ should also be questioned.
It is illogical to draw a parallel between the murder and the song."

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress