Hrant Dink, a ‘frightened pigeon’
Story from BBC NEWS:
/6283461.stm
Published: 2007/01/20 23:47:58 GMT
The following are extracts from the final article by Turkish-Armenian
journalist Hrant Dink, published in his newspaper Agos on 19 January,
the day he was shot dead in Istanbul.
At first when an investigation was launched against me for insulting
Turkishness I did not feel troubled. This was not the first time…
I had complete trust in what I’d written and what my intentions had been.
Once the prosecutor had the chance to evaluate the text of my
editorial as a whole, not that single sentence which made no sense by
itself, he would understand that I had no intention of "insulting
Turkishness" and this comedy would come to an end. I was sure of
myself. But surprise! A lawsuit was filed…
In covering every hearing the newspapers, editorials and television
programmes all referred to how I had said that "the blood of the Turk
is poisonous".
I may see myself as frightened as a pigeon, but I know that in this
country people do not touch pigeons
Each time, they were adding to my fame as "the enemy of the Turk".
In the corridors of the courthouse, the fascists physically attacked me with
racist curses.
They bombarded me with insults. Hundreds of threats hailed down for months by
phone, email and post – increasing all the time.
I persevered through all this with patience awaiting the decision that would
acquit me.
Then the truth would prevail and all those people would be ashamed of what
they had done.
‘False information’
My only weapon was my sincerity. But when the decision came out my hopes were
crushed. From then on, I was in the most distressed situation a person could
possibly be in.
The memory of my computer is filled with angry, threatening lines sent
by citizens
The judge had made a decision in the name of the "Turkish nation" and had it
legally registered that I had "denigrated Turkishness." I could have coped
with anything but this.
In my understanding, the denigration of a person on the basis of any
difference – ethnic or religious – is racism, and there was no way
this could ever be forgiven…
Those who tried to single me out and weaken me have succeeded. With the false
information they oozed into society, they created a significant segment of
the population who view Hrant Dink as someone who "insults Turkishness".
The memory of my computer is filled with angry, threatening lines sent by
citizens from this sector…
How real are these threats? To be honest, it is impossible for me to know for
sure.
What is truly threatening and unbearable for me is the psychological torture
I place myself in. The question that really gets to me, is: ‘What are these
people thinking about me?’
Unfortunately I am now better-known than before and I feel people looking at
me, thinking: ‘Oh, look, isn’t he that Armenian guy?’
I am just like a pigeon, equally obsessed by what goes-on on my left and
right, front and back. My head is just as mobile and fast.
‘Heaven and hell
What did Foreign Minister Gul say? Or Justice Minister Cicek? ‘There is no
need to exaggerate about Article 301 (on insulting Turkishness). Has anyone
actually been put in prison?’
As if going to prison was the only way to pay the price. This is the price.
This is the price.
2007 will probably be an even harder year for me
Do you ministers know the price of making someone as scared as a pigeon?
What my family and I have been through has not been easy. I have considered
leaving this country at times…
But leaving a ‘boiling hell’ to run to a ‘heaven’ is not for me. I wanted to
turn this hell into heaven.
We stayed in Turkey because that was what we wanted – and out of respect for
the thousands of people here who supported me in my fight for democracy…
I am now applying to the European Court of Human Rights. I don’t know how
long the case will take, but what I do know is that I will continue living here
in Turkey until the case is finalised.
And if the court rules in my favour I will be very happy and will never have
to leave my country.
2007 will probably be an even harder year for me. The court cases will
continue, new ones will be initiated and God knows what kind of additional
injustices I will have to face.
I may see myself as frightened as a pigeon, but I know that in this country
people do not touch pigeons.
Pigeons can live in cities, even in crowds. A little scared perhaps, but
free.