ABHaber, Belgium
EU-Turkey News Network
Oct 13 2007

FIDH is unhappy about Hrant Dink case (original text)

International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH)
Press release
Turkey

Hrant Dink case : harassment against Agos continues

The International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) strongly
deplores the continued harassment faced by journalists debating the
question of the killings of hundreds of thousands by the Ottoman Army
in 1915-1917 of Armenians in Turkey. Yesterday, Hrant Dink’s son and
one of his colleague from the newspaper Agos were sentenced to a
suspended prison sentence for « insulting the Turkish identity »,
pursuant to Article 301 of the penal code.

FIDH recalls that one year ago Hrant Dink, a Turkish journalist of
Armenian origin, former leader of the movement for democratic reforms
in Turkey, who personified dialogue between Turks and Armenians, was
charged with making « disparaging comments about Turkish identity »
after he called the 1915-1917 killings a genocide. On 19 January
2007, Hrant Dink was assassinated on a public street in front of his
office in Istanbul by a teenager close to ultra nationalist
movements.

Arat Dink and Sarkis Seropyan, respectively editor in chief and
director of Agos – a bilingual Turkish-Armenian newspaper – were
sentenced on the ground that Agos published in their columns an
interview of Reuters in which Hrant Dink called the 1915-1917
killings a genocide. Hrant Dink had been prosecuted several times and
sentenced to six-month of prison on the basis of Article 301.

FIDH is deeply worried about this continued pattern of infringement
to freedom of expression and opinion which constitutes a flagrant
violation of international standards and, in particular the
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights which was
ratified by Turkey in September 2003. We are very concerned about the
frequent use of Article 301on the denigration of «Turkishness », the
Republic, and the foundation and institutions of the State, to
prosecute non-violent critical opinions. The majority of cases
recently brought against journalists, publishers and writers are
based on Art. 301.

Despite the assassination of Hrant Dink, the Turkish authorities
continue to consider that discussing the nature of the 1915-1917
killings is an insult to Turkish identity, and thus expose the lives
of those opening the debate.

FIDH requests the Turkish authorities to:

take the necessary measures to ensure the respect of freedom of
expression and opinion and, in particular, amend domestic legislation
in order to comply with its international and regional obligations;

put an end to prosecutions brought against individuals under Article
301 of the penal code; and abrogate this article;

ensure that the trial of perpetrators and masterminds in the
assassination of Hrant Dink is conducted in a fair and transparent
manner and examine thoroughly the responsibility of the Government
and authorities which failed to protect a citizen who lived under a
threat that was known to all.