Tert, Armenia
Nov 13 2009

Armenian Genocide Matter of Freedom of Speech, But Not Life’s Only
Subject: Orhan Pamuk
11:02 ¢ 13.11.09

On November 10, Orhan Pamuk was a guest at Queens College in New York,
where he answered questions and talked about his latest novel, The
Museum of Innocence (`Masumiyet Müzesi’ in Turkish), which was
released in the U.S. on October 20.

During the question and answer period, Hayk Martirosyan, former host
of ArmNews TV’s `Comment’ programme, stated that he directed the
following question to the Nobel Prize winner:

`Mr. Pamuk, you were perhaps one of the first in Turkey with the late
Hrant Dink who had the courage to speak about the Armenian Genocide
and with that, to initiate a certain modernization in Turkey in some
way. However, recently, it seems that you have accepted a certain
indifferent position in that issue. Anyhow, there is an opinion which
states that you are avoiding referring to this issue. Is this perhaps
a result of the criminal persecution previously enforced against you
or is your silence bound by other circumstances?’

As stated by Martirosyan, Pamuk responded by saying, `Firstly, that
was for me an issue of freedom of speech, and secondly, it’s not my
life’s only subject. There are more important issues. Apart from that,
these matters must be discussed first and foremost by the Turkish
people.’