PRESS RELEASE
International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH)
Marie Camberlin, Chargée de programme/ Program Officer
Afrique du Nord et Moyen Orient
Middle East and North Africa
Tel.: 33(0)1 43 55 17 89
Fax: 33(0)1 43 55 18 80
17, passage de la main d’or
75011 Paris
France
Turkey
Hrant Dink case : harassment against Agos continues
Paris, 12 October 2007 – 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.
Press contact : Karine Appy/Gaël Grilhot : + 33 1 43 55 25 18
—
Karine Appy
Attachée de presse
Press Officer
FIDH
+33 1 43 55 14 12
+33 1 43 55 25 18
+33 6 68 42 93 47