3 YEARS PASSED AFTER HRANT DINK’S KILLING IN TURKEY
Aysor
Jan 19 2010
Armenia
This day, three years ago 53-year-old Hrant Dink was shot dead outside
his newspaper’s office in Istanbul.
Armenian-born Turkish journalist, editor of bilingual Turkish-Armenian
newspaper Agos, Hrant Dink was one of the most prominent voices of
Turkey’s shrinking Armenian community.
In an interview with Aysor’s paper Bagrat Estukian, editor of Armenian
version of Agos paper, said Hrant Dink voiced most pointed matters
and was known all around Turkey. He said Dink had remarkable abilities
to explain most complicated subjects in clear words.
Cause of articles dealing with the killing of Kurds and Armenians,
Hrant Dink was among dozens of writers in Turkey who have been charged
under 301 of Turkey’s penal code with insulting Turkish identity.
Hrant Dink, editor and journalist, born September 15 1954, was killed
on January 19 2007 by Ogun Samast, a 17-year old Turkish nationalist.
The killer was reported to have introduced himself as an Ankara
University student who wanted to meet with Dink. When his request
was rejected, he waited in front of a nearby bank.
The Dink murder trial opened in Istanbul on July 2, 2007. 18 people
were charged at Istanbul Heavy Penal Court No 14 in connection with
the journalist’s assassination. Since Ogun Samast was younger than
18 the hearing was not public. Reportedly the defendants Yasin Hayal
and Erhan Tuncel repeated their testimonies given to the security
forces and prosecutor. The court decided to release the defendants
Osman Altay, Irfan Ozkan, Salih Hacisalihoglu and Veysel Toprak to
be tried without remand and adjourned the hearing to 1 October.
Meanwhile, 11 hearings have already been held without any result.
Hundreds of solidary people, among them Armenians, Kurds, and Turkish,
gather to voice their positions with posters reading "We are all
Hrant Dink", "For Hrant, For Justice".
Next hearing is expected on February 8 2010. Dink’s case lawyer Fethiye
Cetin told in a telephone interview with Aysor’s correspondent, if
the upcoming hearing doesn’t bring a result, then they will apply to
the European Court.