Author: Tashjian Arbi

Hamilton Spectator, Canada
Jan 27 2007

War is going on for the soul of Turkey

>From their powerful positions in the army, the judiciary and the
bureaucracy, ‘republican elite’ work to undermine the reforms and to
wreck Turkey’s chances of joining the EU.

By Gwynne Dyer
Independent

When they buried Hrant Dink in Istanbul last Tuesday, more than
100,000 Turks came to his funeral, filling the streets and chanting
"We are all Armenians." There is a war going on for the soul of
Turkey, but at least a lot of Turks are on the right side.

Dink, who called himself "an Armenian from Turkey and a good Turkish
citizen," was murdered because he insisted on talking about the great
crime that happened in the country 92 years ago: the mass murder of
most of Turkey’s Armenian population in eastern Anatolia. The
newspaper he founded and edited, a bilingual Turkish-Armenian weekly
called Agos, had only a small circulation, but his outspoken
editorials had made him one of Turkey’s most famous journalists —
and a target for assassination.

His killer, 17-year-old Ogun Samast, was a semi-educated young thug
from Trabzon in the far north-east of Anatolia. He was given the gun
by a group of older ultra-nationalists including Yusuf Hayal, who was
convicted of bombing a McDonald’s restaurant in Trabzon in 2004. But
these marginal characters are just pawns in the larger war between
those who want a more democratic, more tolerant Turkey and those who
are desperately defending the power and privileges of the old
"republican" elite.

Samast shot Dink from behind in the street in front of his newspaper
office. "I feel no remorse," the killer allegedly told investigators.
"He said that Turkish blood was dirty blood." Of course, Dink never
said any such thing. What he actually said, in a newspaper article
addressed to his fellow Armenians, was that their obsession with the
massacres of 1915-17 was having "a poisonous effect on your blood."

But it’s east to see how a useful idiot like Samast could have
believed that Hrant Dink was an enemy of the Turks, because just over
a year ago a Turkish court took that phrase out of context, found
Dink guilty of "insulting Turkishness", and gave him a six-month
suspended sentence under Article 301 of the Criminal Code. A number
of other Turkish citizens including Nobel Prize-winning author Orhan
Pamuk have been prosecuted under the same law for daring to discuss
what happened to the Armenians, and most of them have received death
threats too.

It really is a kind of war, and the villains of the piece are
precisely the army officers, judges and senior civil servants who
were once seen as the guardians of the "republican" tradition, the
people who were going to modernize and democratize Turkey.
Unfortunately, "republican" doesn’t really mean the same as
"democratic."

The forms of the Turkish republic were democratic from the start, but
for a very long time the reality was a mass of illiterate peasants
under the harsh tutelage of a narrow educated elite who were
determined to Westernize the country. The "republican" elite rewrote
history (including the denial of the Armenian massacres) in order to
mould a new Turkish national consciousness, and saw religion as a
retrograde force that must be banned from politics.

The decades passed, and much of the elite’s dream came to pass.
Turkey today has a per-capita income higher than Romania or Bulgaria,
the most recent countries to join the European Union. Democracy is a
reality, and the current prime minister, Recep Tayyib Erdogan, leads
a party whose members openly refer to themselves as "Muslim
Democrats." Under Erdogan, there has been a wave of legal and
administrative reforms designed to qualify Turkey for EU membership.
But all this threatens both the rigidly secular ideology and the
autocratic privileges of the old republican elite.

>From their powerful positions in the army, the judiciary and the
bureaucracy, they work to undermine the reforms and to wreck Turkey’s
chances of joining the EU. In de facto alliance with
ultra-nationalist right-wing parties that also oppose EU membership,
they incite hatred of minorities, bring false prosecutions against
the advocates of a more open and democratic Turkish society, and
pursue the long-term goal of destabilizing the democratic order.

It was they who smuggled the notorious Article 301 into the Criminal
Code when it was being reformed to align Turkish law with EU
standards, they who brought false prosecutions for "insulting
Turkishness" against Hrant Dink, Orhan Pamuk, and other well-known
writers, journalists and scholars, they who spread the lies about
what Dink had actually said. It is they, not some ignorant, angry
teenager, who are really responsible for his death.

But the war is not over yet, and the good guys have not lost. Foreign
Minister Abdullah Gul vowed last November to change or abolish
Article 301, and last week 100,000 Turks thronged streets of Istanbul
to mourn the country’s best-known Armenian and condemn his murderers.

Gwynne Dyer is a London-based independent journalist whose articles
are published in 45 countries.

Bangkok Post, Thailand
Jan 27 2007

Old wounds incite fresh killing

Hopes for ethnic reconciliation between Turks and Armenians fade
following the funeral of slain Armenian journalist Hrant Dink

By SELCAN HACAOGLU

Ankara _ As waves of mourners rolled through the streets of Istanbul
this week in honour of slain ethnic Armenian journalist Hrant Dink,
many liberal Turks were swept up in a sense that an unprecedented
chance for ethnic reconciliation was at hand. But just two days
later, a darker reality was setting in. Many Turks are rejecting the
appeals for solidarity and democratic reform, as ultra-nationalists
inspired by hardcore Islam become ever more strident and daring. A
large proportion of the tens of thousands who joined Dink’s funeral
procession were urban intellectuals, hardly representative of a
nation of more than 70 million people where conservative Islamic
values are deep-seated and the military is the most trusted
institution.

In fact, many Turks support the views of nationalists who are
becoming increasingly vocal in their condemnation of Western values
they feel are being imposed on them by the European Union, which is
considering Turkey’s membership bid.

Dink had been forced to stand trial by nationalists angered by his
calls to recognise the killings of Armenians in the waning days of
the Ottoman Empire as genocide. He was gunned down on Jan 19 in front
of the offices of his bilingual Armenian-Turkish newspaper.

During his funeral procession on Tuesday, mourners chanted ”We are
all Armenians”, urged liberal reform and called for the repeal of
the law used to convict Dink on charges of ”insulting Turkishness”.
However, most Turks interviewed by the Associated Press on Thursday
said the marchers did not represent the country and said they were
against making concessions to Armenians on the sensitive issue of the
killings. ”They should speak for themselves, they cannot speak on
behalf of Turks,” said Filiz Un, 32. ”I am sorry for him as a human
but they cannot pretend that all the Turkish public is behind them.”

A headline in the right-wing newspaper Tercuman said that those who
aren’t proud to be Turkish ”should clear off and leave”. The
article ran a day after a threat against Nobel laureate Orhan Pamuk
by a handcuffed suspect.

Turkey’s expulsion and killings of Armenians in 1915 during World War
I _ which Armenians say claimed 1.5 million lives _ is a dark chapter
rarely discussed publicly in Turkey or taught in its schools.

But despite the fact that the Armenian-Turkish border has been sealed
since 1993 and diplomatic relations severed, Armenia sent a deputy
foreign minister to the funeral, and the archbishop of the Armenian
Church of America also accepted the government’s invitation.

Earlier, the Armenian defence minister Serzh Sarkisyan called for
improved relations so that Armenia could ”establish ties with Turkey
with no preconditions”.

Diplomatic ties were severed in a dispute over territory, but the
heart of the conflict is the mass killings of Armenians. Turkey calls
the loss of life a consequence of a war in which both sides suffered
casualties, and has suggested that a group of envoys from each
country analyse the history. Armenia has expressed willingness to
participate, but insists that the border must first be reopened to
trade.

But many Armenians living abroad hold a much harder line and are
lobbying the United States and European governments to deny Turkish
entrance into the European Union until Ankara recognises the killings
as genocide.

Norman Stone, professor of history at Koc University in Istanbul,
said Dink was killed at a time when Turkey was clearly reacting to
pressure to respond to the Armenian issue. ”There are a lot of
balanced people here who say, ‘Look, the genocide issue is unclear,
but if you just leave it as a matter of massacres, then we can start
making progress’,” he said.

”Public opinion in both countries, weary of the years-long conflict,
had reached a point of explosion,” said Kaan Soyak, director of the
only bilateral trade council of Turkish and Armenian executives.
”That’s what lies behind the massive outpouring for Dink.”

Turkey’s largest nationalist party responded to the mourners’ chants
on Tuesday by posting its own slogan _ ”We are all Turks” _ on a
digital display outside a local party branch in the Mediterranean
resort of Antalya. And in a chilling sign that the suspects have
their supporters, a fake bomb was left outside the Turkish parliament
building saying they should be set free, CNN-Turk reported Thursday.

The defiant nationalist stand was alarming mainstream politicians.

”You don’t recognise any laws, you go and kill defenceless people?
That’s not nationalism,” Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said.
”If you do that you are murderers and monsters. No one but God can
take a life.”

Prosecutors on Wednesday charged 17-year-old Ogun Samast with
carrying out the murder while charging four others with inciting the
assassination.

”There is a fault line passing right through the middle of
society,” wrote Turker Alkan, a columnist for the centre-left
Radikal newspaper. ”Those who cannot reconcile Hrant Dink’s murder
with humanity, consciousness and moral values are on the one side;
those who don’t really oppose the murder because of their nationalist
sentiments and their religious beliefs are on the other.”

Selami Ince, news editor of the Istanbul-based Alawite television, Su
TV, explained that few of the marchers at the funeral were Turks with
roots in the Anatolian heartland. ”Unfortunately, they do not
represent the Turkish public,” Mr Ince said. ”The Turkish public
has not filled the streets with demands of democracy and freedom.
They were leftists, Armenians, Kurds and those intellectuals who
favour multiculturalism.”

The suspects Ogun Samast and Yasin Hayal were members of the youth
wing of the right-wing nationalist and deeply religious Great Unity
Party in the Black Sea port of Trabzon. They left the party two years
ago, allegedly criticising it for being too soft and inactive.

”Despite all [Dink’s] efforts, he could not help prevent feelings of
vengeance by Turkish nationalists who operated under a venomous
climate to bully Turkey’s liberals and democratic elements or those
who feel committed to stop Turkey’s march to the European Union,”
wrote Cengiz Candar of Turkish Daily News.

Yasin Hayal, handcuffed and escorted by police, shouted ”Orhan Pamuk
should be careful” as he was taken to an Istanbul court house
Wednesday.

Hayal, a known nationalist militant, served 11 months in jail for the
2004 bombing of a McDonald’s restaurant in his hometown Trabzon. He
admitted to giving money and a gun to his friend Samast, 17, to kill
Dink. Samast confessed to killing Dink for ”insulting” Turks over
his writings and statements on the massacre of Armenians during WWI.

The murder of Dink, who worked for reconciliation between Christian
Armenians and Muslim Turks, has triggered a heated debate in Turkey
about the impact of extreme nationalism.

”This murder revealed some truths which we undoubtedly all have to
think about,” said Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul. ”We have to think
about how we are bringing up our youth.”

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Ventura County Star, CA
Jan 26 2007

Genocide must be recognized by U.S.

By Susanna Sukiasyan
January 26, 2007

Re: your Jan. 21 article, "Turkish police suspect teen in
journalist’s shooting death":

During the Armenian genocide of 1915, 1.5 million Armenians were
murdered by the Ottoman Empire. Genocide should be treated with
abhorrence and legal consequences by all governments and countries,
and not judged by its political advantage or nonadvantage to a
country that could give aid.

In the political arena, human rights are not so much a moral issue,
but more of a complicated chess game. The United States plays this
game well, picking and choosing those countries it wishes to be
involved with. Human rights and global morality rely on the political
advantage of helping and recognizing the persecuted. Assets such as
oil, military bases, strategic location and political alliances may
determine whether or not crimes against humanity are recognized,
acted against or publicly condemned.

Because of its strategic military bases, access to Middle East oil
and its political alliance with Turkey, the United States has yet to
recognize the Armenian genocide.

After becoming a strategic site for American and NATO military bases,
Turkey gained greater leverage to promote its denial of the Armenian
genocide. Incirlik military base is one of the most strategically
important footholds for the U.S. Turkey is one of the largest
recipients of U.S. arms.

Acknowledging the Armenian genocide did not become a matter of human
rights; it became another move in international politics.

If the U.S. recognizes the massacre of 1.5 million people, it risks
losing a main ally in a turbulent area. Turkey has easy access to
major energy resources, oil and natural gas. Turkey played a major
role in the Persian Gulf War and the current war in Iraq. To benefit,
it is very important for the U.S. to continue this relationship.
Because of its importance in the "energy war," Turkey’s oil and
military bases have sealed an alliance with the U.S. Turkey has
become a key member of NATO. The U.S. needs this alliance and does
not want to upset the current political regime that refuses to
recognize its crimes of the past.

Armenia is of little military importance and has few resources with
which to barter. Thus, Turkey retains its political alliance with the
U.S. and it retains its policy of refusing to recognize the genocide.
In some instances, it accuses the Armenians of being responsible for
it.

As long as Turkey maintains its alliance with the U.S., crimes
against humanity are ignored.

Other NATO members officially recognize the extent of the Armenian
genocide. Although these members are allies with Turkey, they do not
need military bases to wage wars in the Middle East or bargain for
energy sources.

The United States waves its flag of justice and likes to present
itself as the example for social justice, but its record would not
reflect what it would like the world to think. Its motivations for
recognition of atrocities in the world are only moved by political
and economic gain, or publicity. As long as the publicity levels are
low, the United States continues its game of political chess.

It is a great scandal and irony to Armenians that the U.S. does not
recognize one of the most heinous crimes – the Armenian genocide. In
a world where history too often repeats itself, it is important the
United States recognize this in hopes of preventing similar events in
other countries. This recognition will provide displaced Armenians
with a recognized and accurate history rather than one of cover-up
and denial the Turkish government continues to uphold. It also shows
the world the U.S. believes in social justice and not simply
political partnership.

For the Armenian population, the desecration of churches, the burning
of libraries, and the ruination of towns and villages meant the loss
of homeland and heritage, and dispersion to the four corners of the
Earth. The Armenians saved only that which formed part of their
collective memory: language, songs, poetry and, now, tragic history.

Ironically, the largest Armenian community is now found in the United
States. The abuse of Armenian memory by denial by the U.S., a
government dedicated to social justice, was probably the most
agonizing of many tribulations. The violation of this "sacred
memory," as all survivors of the genocidal devastation have come to
enshrine the experience of traumatic death, has reverberated through
Armenian society.

Not to recognize the Armenian genocide gives the Turkish government
and other despotic regimes permission to continue crimes against
humanity.

Had the world shown outrage to Turkey at the time of the genocide,
Adolf Hitler would not have felt he could get away with exterminating
6 million "undesirables" during World War II.

For the United States still not to recognize the Armenian genocide
shows the world that human rights and social justice are not U.S.
priorities or valued in what is considered the most humane country.
Greed and power, in the forms of access to oil and military bases,
are the motivations that move the chess pieces of American policy.

– Susanna Sukiasyan, of Ojai, is an Armenian refugee who has received
political asylum in the United States. She attends Ventura College.

nion/article/0,1375,VCS_125_5305705,00.html

New Anatolian, Turkey
Jan 26 2007

Ankara Bar asks who threatened Dink at Istanbul deputy governor’s
office

Burak Esen – The New Anatolian / Ankara
26 January 2007

After days of rallies and tears, as interest in Hrant Dink’s killing
fades to join a long list of political murders, the Ankara Bar
yesterday made an attempt to keep the issue alive, at least for a
short while longer.

The bar asked the Interior Ministry to launch a disciplinary and
criminal investigation into an Istanbul deputy governor and two
people with him who allegedly threatened the late Armenian-origin
Turkish journalist, basing this request on a column by Dink telling
of this incident in the deputy governor’s office.

Dink, in his Jan. 12 column "Why was I chosen as a target?" in his
bilingual Turkish-Armenian weekly Agos, claimed that he was
threatened by two unknown "relatives" of the deputy governor over one
of his news articles.

The claims were also touched upon by a close friend of Dink following
his murder last Friday. Aydin Engin stated that some time ago an
Istanbul deputy governor called and extended an invitation to Dink.
"When Dink got there, no one paid attention to him," said Ergin.
"There were two people with the deputy governor. He introduced them
to Dink as his friends. Afterwards, one of the two, a man, spoke at
length and said that there are all sorts of people on the streets and
that something bad could happen to him."

Engin added that Dink mentioned the event in his application to the
European Court of Human Rights (ECHR).

Dink wrote in his column that he was invited to the office of an
Istanbul deputy governor and to bring documents about a news story,
but only after he reminded them about the documents did they remember
that they had called him to discuss them.

The documents were about a news story claiming that Ataturk’s adopted
daughter Sabiha Gokcen, Turkey’s first female Turkish pilot, was an
ethnic Armenian, and Istanbul Governor Muammer Guler, in a statement
in defense of his deputy, said that the news had disturbed the
Turkish people.

Guler also said that Armenian Patriarch Mesrob II Mutafyan was
subjected to death threats after the story, which, he remarked, may
have prompted the deputy governor to tell Dink of the unwanted
consequences of his news.

Guler also said, as quoted in the petition, that while the police and
the governor’s office were discussing security measures to protect
Mesrob II, an official responsible for security called Dink to
exchange information with him about threats against the patriarch.

However the governor revealed neither the name of the deputy governor
or the position of people with him during the meeting.

Dink, who explained the reason for the invitation as to examine
documents about the story, also said in his column that both the
deputy governor and the unknown male at the meeting respectively told
him that he was an experienced journalist and that he should write
more carefully.

"Although we’re sure that you have no bad intentions, you may face a
public backlash as not everyone interprets your articles the way we
do," Dink quoted the unknown guest as saying.

The bar’s petition, which asked about the relationship of the two
people to the deputy governor and whether they are public servants,
was given to the ministry by lawyer Kemal Vuraldogan yesterday.

The details the lawyer sought from the ministry on behalf of the
Ankara Bar are as follows:

– Whether the deputy governor has the authority to invite Dink to
discuss documents about a news article he wrote.
– Why the documents brought along by the journalist weren’t examined.
– Whether the two people who attended the meeting are public
servants, and if so, which institutions they work for.
– Why the deputy governor introduced the two as his relatives if
these people were actually public servants and if this could be
considered unethical.
– Under what authority the deputy governor met with Dink, while two
other people accompanied him
– Why the deputy governor failed to record the minutes of the
meeting.
– Why Dink was informed about threats against Mesrob II rather than
Mutafyan himself.
– Whether the deputy governor or the two people threatened Dink.

Armenian Americans protest against Hrant Dink’s assassination

PanARMENIAN.Net
25.01.2007 13:29 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Over 1000 Armenian Americans from throughout
the Greater Washington DC area on Sunday, January 21, honored slain
Armenian journalist Hrant Dink and called on the Turkish Government to
end its 92 year international campaign of Armenian Genocide denial,
reports Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA). The crowd
gathered in front of the Turkish Embassy just two days after Dink’s
assassination.

"Many are saying that Dink was killed by ultra-nationalists who
considered his statements to be insulting Turkey’s honor and
threatening its unity.

But this is not just the position of some so-called
‘ultra-nationalists’; it is the official position of the Turkish
government, which prosecuted and condemned Dink for his stance on
the Armenian Genocide. It is the shameless policy of Genocide denial
perpetrated by Ankara which is the real problem and that is what
we must continue to fight against," AYF Ani Chapter chairman Serouj
Aprahamian stated.

"Hrant Dink’s murder is tragic proof that the Turkish government –
through its campaign of denial, threats and intimidation against
the recognition of the Armenian Genocide – continues to fuel the
same hatred and intolerance that initially led to this crime against
humanity more than 90 years ago," said ANCA Executive Director Aram
Hamparian. After the vigil a special requiem service was held in
memory of Hrant Dink at Soorp Khatch Church in Washington.

AZG Armenian Daily #014, 26/01/2007

Murder of Hrant Dink

AZERI CONNECTION TO DINK KILLING

According to AP, "One of the suspects, Yasin Hayal, an alleged Islamic
militant who learned to make bombs from Chechen militants at a camp
in Azerbaijan and who served 11 months in jail for the bombing of a
McDonalds restaurant in Trabzon in 2004, is suspected of masterminding
the attacks on both Dink and Father Santaro."

CENTRAL BANK HAS ISSUED MEMORIAL COINS

A1+
[06:45 pm] 25 January, 2007

RA Central Bank (CB) has issued gold memorial coin of 10 000 AMD
designated to the 15th anniversary of the formation of the Armenian
Armed Forces

The RA emblem is drawn on one side of the coin and the order of
"Tigran the Great" – on the other. The coin is outlined with the
following words, "The 15th Anniversary of the Armenian Troops".

The coin is designed by the member of the RA Painters’ association
Harutyun Samuelyan.

RA CB has also issued a silver memorial coin of 100 AMD designated
to Hovhannes Ayvazovski.

This is the first memorial coin having rectangular shape. There
are fragments from Ayvazovski’s canvases "Storm" and "Chesmenian
Sea Battle".

VAHAN HOVHANNISIAN HIGHLY ESTIMATES CURRENT LEVEL OF ARMENIAN-POLISH
INTERSTATE RELATIONS

YEREVAN, JANUARY 26, NOYAN TAPAN. Development of bilateral relations
between Armenia and Poland, activization of interparliamentary
relations, cooperation at European structures and international
organizations were discusssed at the January 26 meeting between RA
NA Vice-Speaker Vahan Hovhannisian and Deputy Foreign Minister of
Poland Pavel Koval. Noyan Tapan was informed about it from RA NA
Public Relations Department.

V.Hovhannisian highly estimated the current level of Armenian-Polish
interstate relations attaching importance to further development
of interparliamentary contacts, cooperation in spheres of culture,
science, education, economy.

In his words, there is also a possibility of cooperation with Poland
within the framework of European integration policy, as Armenia has
proclaimed European integration as the priority of its foreign policy
and Poland becoming EU member has accumulated sufficient experience,
which is useful and interesting for Armenia. V.Hovhannisian expressed
gratitude to the Polish side in connection with recognition of
the Armenian Genocide by Polish Seimas attaching importance to the
comprehension shown by the Poles in this issue.

P.Koval stating the high level of Polish-Armenian relations mentioned
that Poland attaches great importance to development of contacts
with Armenia. In his words, Polish Foreign Minister’s and Seimas
Marshal’s coming official visits to Armenia can give a new impulse
to cooperation.

Armenian National Committee of America
1711 N Street NW
Washington, DC 20036
Tel. (202) 775-1918
Fax. (202) 775-5648
Email [email protected]
Internet

PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 23, 2007
Contact: Elizabeth S. Chouldjian
Tel: (202) 775-1918

REP. CROWLEY SET TO INTRODUCE RESOLUTION
CONDEMNING HRANT DINK ASSASSINATION

— Legislation to call for Repeal of Article 301

— Over 125 Cosponsors have Already Agreed to Support the
Armenian Genocide Resolution soon to be Introduced by
Reps. Schiff, Radanovich, Pallone, and Knollenberg

WASHINGTON, DC – Congressman Joe Crowley is set to introduce
legislation calling on the U.S. House of Representatives to condemn
the assassination of Hrant Dink, and to call upon the Turkish
government to repeal the law, Article 301, under which it both
prosecuted and sentenced the Armenian journalist for his statements
affirming the Armenian Genocide, reported the Armenian National
Committee of America (ANCA).

Hrant Dink, editor of the bilingual Armenian/Turkish "Agos"
newspaper, was gunned down outside his office in Istanbul on
January 19th – sparking worldwide protests and renewed scrutiny of
Turkey’s repression of free speech and international campaign of
Armenian Genocide denial.

"We appreciate Congressman Crowley’s leadership in seeking
Congressional condemnation of Hrant Dink’s murder and are, as a
community, tremendously gratified – in the wake of this tragedy –
by the growing support for the Armenian Genocide Resolution soon to
be introduced by Congressmen Schiff, Radanovich, Pallone, and
Knollenberg," said Aram Hamparian, Executive Director of the
Armenian National Committee. Speaking on CNN on the day of Dink’s
murder, Hamparian explained that his assassination was "product of
the environment that the Turkish government has created" – its
persistent denial that the killings of the Armenians last century
did not amount to genocide.

Among the original cosponsors of the measure are Armenian Caucus
Co-Chairmen Frank Pallone (D-NJ) and Joe Knollenberg (R-MI) and
Armenian Genocide Resolution lead authors Adam Schiff (D-CA) and
George Radanovich (R-CA).

In a Dear Colleague letter circulated to Congressional offices, the
New York legislator described Hrant Dink as "a fierce defender of
the freedom of the press, an outspoken advocate for democratic
reform, and a champion of human rights and tolerance. He was a man
of conviction and principle who believed in democratic ideals and
peaceful change." He explained to his House colleagues that, Hrant
Dink had been "honored by his media colleagues around the world for
his courage and principles and was awarded the prestigious Bjornson
Prize for Literature for his publications on the Armenian
Genocide." Representative Crowley closed by stressing the need for
the U.S. Congress to condemn "this attempt to silence the freedom
of the press and to intimidate the Armenian community in Turkey,"
and calling on his colleagues to cosponsor his legislation.

Last Friday, on the day of the assassination, Congressman Schiff
circulated a Dear Colleague letter seeking the support of U.S.
Representatives for a letter condemning the Dink murder and calling
for the repeal of Article 301 of the Turkish penal code. Along
with Congressman Radanovich and Armenian Caucus Co-Chairmen Frank
Pallone and Joe Knollenberg, Congressman Schiff will soon introduce
the Armenian Genocide Resolution. This measure, which has already
garnered the support of over 130 legislators, calls on the
President to properly recognize and commemorate the Armenian
Genocide.

The text of the legislation is provided below. A similar measure
is expected to be introduced in the U.S. Senate.

#####

Resolution

Condemning the assassination of human rights advocate and outspoken
defender of freedom of the press, Turkish- Armenian journalist
Hrant Dink on January 19, 2007.

Whereas, on January 19, 2007, Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant
Dink was murdered as he exited the Istanbul, Turkey, office of Agos
Newspaper;

Whereas Hrant Dink was a fierce defender of the freedom of the
press and speech, an outspoken advocate for democratic reform, and
a champion of human rights and tolerance;

Whereas Hrant Dink was a man of conviction and principle who
believed in democratic ideals and peaceful change;

Whereas, in Istanbul in 1996, Hrant Dink founded a bilingual
newspaper called Agos, in part to foster dialogue and understanding
between Armenians and Turks;

Whereas Hrant Dink was honored by his media colleagues around the
world for his courage and principles and was awarded the
prestigious Bjornson Prize for Literature for his publications on
the Armenian Genocide;

Whereas Hrant Dink faced ongoing prosecution under Article 301 of
the Turkish Penal Code for speaking about the Armenian Genocide;
and

Whereas the United States was founded on the principles of
democracy and liberty where freedom of expression is cherished and
protected: Now, therefore, be it

Resolved, That the House of Representatives­

(1) strongly condemns and deplores the assassination of Hrant Dink;

(2) urges the Government of Turkey to continue its investigation
and prosecution of those individuals responsible for the murder of
Hrant Dink; and

(3) urges the Government of Turkey to take appropriate action to
protect the freedom of speech in Turkey by repealing Article 301 of
the Turkish Penal Code and by opposing individuals in Turkey who
espouse intolerance, intimidation, and violence against individuals
who exercise their right of freedom of speech.

–Boundary_(ID_QS/Sp+9OlenJaPtRpLICkQ)–

Azeri Press Agency, Azerbaijan
Jan 23 2007

Turkish Great Union Party leader protests against the slogan "We all
are Hrant, we all are Armenians"

[ 23 Jan. 2007 19:35 ]

Agos editor-in-chief Hrant Dink, killed on January 19, was buried in
Armenian cemetery in Istanbul today, APA reports.

Several thousand people, majority of which were Turkish Armenians,
participated in the funeral. They had a slogan "We all are Hrant,
we all are Armenians" in their hands. Armenian Deputy Foreign
Minister Armen Kirakosyan, the representatives of Armenin Diaspora,
accredited diplomats, Turkish Foreign Minister Abdulla Gul and Sate
Minster Mehmed Ali Shahin also participated in the funeral. Turkish
Prime Minister Rajep Tayyib Erdogan, President Ahmed Nejdet Sezer
and Headquarters Chief Yashar Boyukanit didn’t participate despite
many urges of some organizations.

Turkish Great Union Party leader Mohsun Yazichioglu protested against
the slogan "We all are Hrant, we all are Armenians". He said that
efforts to sue Turkish people using this incident are inadmissible.

"The reaction to assassinations of Turkish soldiers, policemen and
common people should be the same to Dink’s assassination. We should
use double standards if we want peace and stability in the region.

Why do we not protest against the happenings in Palestine, Chechnya
and Nagorno Karabakh?!", he said. /APA/