Los Angeles Daily News
Injustices continue after Turkish-Armenian editor’s slaying
BRIDGET JOHNSON, Columnist
06/18/2007
"HOW real are these threats? To be honest, it is impossible for me to know
for sure," Turkish-Armenian editor Hrant Dink wrote in his last column on
Jan. 10. "…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."
Nine days later, Dink was gunned down in broad daylight outside the Istanbul
office of his weekly newspaper, Agos. At the time of his slaying,
prosecutors were preparing the third instance of "denigrating Turkishness"
charges against Dink; he’d previously been convicted once. Dink’s "crime"
was writing about the hotly contested and controversial subject of the
Armenian Genocide.
One can safely say that these prosecutions against Dink’s free expression
helped inflame the ire of Turkish nationalists. On July 2, 18
ultra-nationalists go on trial in Dink’s killing. The alleged trigger man,
Ogun Samast, who faces various charges including "murder with premeditation"
and "membership of a terrorist organization," reportedly quickly confessed,
but the net grew much wider.
Ultra-nationalists Erhan Tuncel, a university student, and Yasin Hayal, who
served time for the 2004 bombing of a McDonald’s, are charged with planning
the crime and terrorist-group membership. But the slate of defendants
reaches up into the political ranks, including Yasar Cihan, chairman of a
localized branch of the Islamist-nationalist Great Unity Party, who is
accused of giving money to Hayal after the shooting.
Yet when Dink prophesized in that last column that additional injustices
would arise, he could have been speaking not only of his cold-blooded
killing but of the trials that would follow.
First, it was revealed that hearings for his alleged assailants will be
closed to the press, and journalists won’t even be given reports of the
trial. Reporters Without Borders states that this is because the alleged
shooter, Samast, is 17 years old. How convenient for those who may be
wanting to shield the extent of the currently 18-strong conspiracy – and
what an ironic blow for the principles of press freedom for which Dink
ultimately gave his life.
And in a slap to all Armenians and all who value the democracy, free speech
and justice ideals furthered by Hrant Dink, his son, Arat, now editor of
Agos, has been charged with "insulting Turkish identity" and appeared in
court last week.
Arat Dink simply reprinted an interview where his father recognized the
Armenian Genocide. For this, prosecutors are urging that Arat spend six
months behind bars. "The most absurd and dangerous (thing) is the fact that
describing a historical event as `genocide’ is perceived as insulting
Turkishness," Arat Dink said.
Like father, like son, the charges fall under Article 301, which stipulates
penalties of up to three years in prison for denigrating Turkishness or the
government, and increases penalties by a third for such offenses committed
by Turkish citizens in other countries. "If a reasonable proposal is made,
we may work on it," Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in May
of amending Article 301. The arrest of Arat Dink shows that this hollow
promise is too little, too late.
"Article 301 killed Hrant," Mehmet Ali Birand wrote in the Turkish Daily
News back in January. "This is the reason why, if we would like to make a
change as a society, we need to change Article 301. This is the only way we
can ask for Hrant Dink’s forgiveness."
Turkey has a fleeting chance to ensure that justice is done for Dink and for
all journalists who shouldn’t have to live in fear of coming under the thumb
of the government – and possibly staring down the chamber of an assassin’s
gun. Not only should transparency be paramount in the trial for the killers
of Hrant Dink by granting full media access, but Article 301 charges should
be immediately dropped against Arat Dink and other Agos staff members.
As it stands now, things aren’t getting any better. Agos staff have been
threatened by the Turkish Vengeance Brigade, and the group threatened
Istanbul-based Ozgur Radyo in March: "If you do not stop betraying Turkey,
your end will be the same as the others. Your destiny will be the same as
that of the other traitors."
As Hrant Dink would say now, God knows what kind of additional injustices
the Turkish media will have to face.