HRANT DINK SENTENCED TO 6 MONTHS’ CONDITIONAL IMPRISONMENT
AZG Armenian Daily #182
11/10/2005
Concern
On October 8, the court of Istanbul sentenced Hrant Dink,
editor-in-chief of Agos newspaper, to 6 months’ conditional
imprisonment on charge of “insulting Turkish national identity”. “The
journalist of Armenian descent will be sent to prison if he repeats
his words”, the Associated Press explains. In an article published in
early 2004 Dink called for Armenians to “renounce the hatred towards
the Turks that poisons your blood”. Agos employer Karin Karakashli
thinks that the court misinterpreted his words concluding that Dink
considers Turkish blood poisonous.
In an interview to radio Liberty, Dink refused the charge labeling it
political. He is going to appeal against the charge at the Supreme
Court of the country and in case of no results he will apply to the
European Court of Human Rights. “If the accusations are not lifted
from me I will leave Turkey where I have live all my life”, Dink said.