ADDRESS OF RAKEL DINK TO THE COURT
AZG Armenian Daily
04/07/2007
Your Honour the President of the Court and the Honorable Judges,
My story beging with the Armenian Varto tribe which is one of the
1915 left overs. I was born in 1959 into the Armenian Varto tribe
which was in Mardin borders; in Sirnak district now. Today the town is
called Yolagzi. The name Varto omes from my grand grandfather’s name,
Vartan. The remaining of the tribe migrated to Ýstanbul in 1978. Until
migration, their life in the village, and then in the city was spent
by struggling at the courts against the fraud deeds that the landlords
of the neighbouing villages manufactured. These neighbor villages
were built on our lands. They were beaten, wounded and miraculously
survived murder attempts. My father lived an honorable life without
denying his roots and religion. He passed away in Brussels three
years ago, with his mind and soul worried about his land, of which
the trials stil continue. His children promised him that they would
continue the struggle. He never acted cowardly, was never lazy, never
laid an evil eye on other’s work and never imposed us with animosity.
I met with my beloved husband, whom I used to call Cutag, Hrant
Dink in a boarding school; we grew up together; we got married. They
stripped up our boarding school from us. With the help of Jesus Christ
we overcame all the obstacles, hardships. We were worried at the
problems of our country together. And now, I cry with a deep sadness.
Until today we were treated humiliated, insulted for being Armenians;
we heard people use Armenian as a curse. We heard it and we stil hear
it from the newspapers, TVs, birth registration offices; from public
servants to the highest authorities. Sometimes we were treated as if we
were not citizens of this country, but migrants from somewhere else. We
still witness all these and this structuring and this undestanding;
this darkness continues to create murderer from babies.
Verse 21:3 says "God wishes rightfullness and justice rather than
sacrifies. Today, we see the babies who became murderers here; where
is the darkness that created them?
The darkness I point to is not anyone unknown. You can find pieces
of this darkness in Governorship, in Gendarmarie, in Armed Forces, in
National Intelligence Agency, in Police, in Government, in Opposition
Part, in parties that do not have a seat in the parliament, an deven
in the media and the non-governmental organizations. Their names,
their positions are known.
They continuously create murderers from babies and they do it to serve
Turkey. We have seen them in front of AGOS right after the Sabiha
Gokcen article and in front of the court houses where my husband was
being tried. But for some reason, justice and judiciary cannot reach
to them, do not want to reach to them.
Because, they know that if they dig further they will see that this
darkness exists in them also.
Therefore, if you are not from this darkness and do not approve it,
do not agree with them be courageous enough to go deeper and pull
down all the barriers that was put on this case. Be the instrument
of the God’s justice; so that Turkey can be happy and this becomes
the starting point of bright days for Turkey.
Your Honor, my husband was tried for he wrote, for he thought and
spoke. As an innocent man, due to this understanding of the state he
was found guilty. I believe that the expressions of the state bears
separatism, insult, degradation; it encourages and multiplies the baby
murderers. In short, the source of this spring is the perception and
discourse. I am compliant against this discourse and the to the ones
who speak it out.
I, as a member of the people who live on these soil since Noah, want
to feel and see my children and myself as Armenian Turkish citizens,
as equal citizens.
Our proverb says "One who denies his origin is a sinner". What would
you expect from the one who denies or hides his origin? How can you
establish a strong building, a good character over a faulty base? I
ask you, can you trust him? Does it mean that we are enemies for not
denying our origin?
My beloved husband worked hard, never lied, never acted unjustly,
never said a word against his country either here or abroad. He was
a defender of truth and he lived as a true son and a true citizen. In
return, he received the traitors bullet
Whatever the justice you will see fit, it will not bring my husband
back. None of the rulings will be as equal as my loss of my husband. If
the justice is the foundation of the land, then I am in search of this
justice. I want Turkey to build upon this base. I want to see it not
in words, I want to see it in daily life, in discourse. Therefore,
I demand that all the responsible ones and the authorities declare:
"we could not, we did not want to protect your husband, our citizen. We
knowingly committed a crime, we apologize.
I demand from honorable court which is the representative of the state
that all the criminals receive the pusihment they deserve. I feel no
hatred to any of them; on the contrary I find all of them miserable and
I feel pity for them. I pray mercy for them with the love and justice
of Jesus Christ, one who knows all, sees all. I wish that with the
help of the Holy Spirit, they can feel that they need this mercy. And
I request that you act and decide in line with your responsibility.
With my due respect,
Rakel Dink.
–Boundary_(ID_D8/v466h/WFPxA4yYsa5pg)–