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Thursday, May 12, 14:09
Famous for her books and professional activity in the legal sphere
Fethiye-khanum was calmly sitting at a small chair in the middle of a
big exposition hall. Too much balanced, this woman was actually
shedding out huge flow of will which made me think over my every word
addressed to her.
Having interrupted her thoughts I carefully tried to know if she is
free for a short talk, she replied with a very much admiring smile and
said it will be pleasure for her to talk to me...
Fethiye-khanum, tell me please your story. Nobody but you can present
the relations of people in the mixed reality of today's Turkey.
Listening to me, she started her story of the fight for justice.
Many people know me in Turkey, but in Armenia I am more known because
of Hrant Dink's murder, though I had started my fight long before this
sad event...It happened in 2004 when my first book `My grandmother' was
published. As you know, at the age of reason I learned from my mother,
she is an Armenian. I told my story in the book but just from the
human point of view. I have never criticized the Turkish authorities,
never reminded about the Genocide. I have just told the story of an
unhappy family which was trying to save from death and violence. My
decision was not simple, it came to me as a result of long thought
about this topic, and you know, all those arguments and debates about
the genocide have been more discovering and deepening this topic and
taking it away from resolving. Moreover, the human factor has been
always ignored in the political context, though this global story
consists of separate persons...
By means of this book I tried to open the door from this side. I
wanted to tell and show to everybody that there people in all this,
which we have forgotten about.
The year when the book was published was remarkable for Turkey, as
just since 2004 it has started making the first steps towards the
European integration. For this reason, the nationalistic forces became
more active in the country and the situation was extremely tense. Just
since that year several lawsuits have been filed against Hrant Dink.
Other my friends journalists also were repressed by nationalistic
forces. However, against the background of all this, my book was
distributed without any obstacle.
What was the reason of the tolerance of the authorities to the book?
I think there are two main reasons, why they did not touch me. First,
because of the fact that I did not mention the word `genocide' in the
book and did not put the main stress on it. In fact, they had no
catch, on the basis of which they could file a lawsuit against me.
Secondly, the authorities know the more actively they react at any
phenomena, the more active the society reacts on them. The aggressive
policy regarding the book would lead to raising of the public interest
to it. Here is the slogan of the authorities: `You are the Turk, You
are Muslim'. However, this book shatters these stereotypes. This is
its force, and if they promoted agitation of this book, the whole
ideological system would be broken. For this reason, they simply shut
their eyes to it.
Does it mean you have found the key to establish the Armenian-Turkish relation?
Yes, it does, she said smiling happily, sometimes there is no need
making big steps, one can reach the top with small steps too. By
connecting small links with each other, we shall create the line of
destinies and no politicians will be able to contradict against it.
Over the last minutes of our talk I felt more and more how exited she
was on the matter. She seemed to say something else but did not dare
to. Finally controlling emotions she said: `Almost 100 years have past
since we managed to get something, but nevertheless, it is a big
attainment. I can assure you that the number of people in Turkey
concerned about recognition of the Genocide is growing. I believe,
that one day gradually raising from the depth of the society this
invisible wave will wash off everything on its way. There is no
obstacle for water'.
After such words I had nothing to reply. I was feeling the confidence
of this strong person, which had many obstacle on her way, comparing
to which, my efforts and failures seemed to me just miserable grains...
Half-Armenian, the writer and lawyer Fethiye Cetin is the Dink's
family lawyer. Hrant Dink was murdered in January 2007. Her first book
`My grandmother', which tells the story of her grandmother, which
obtained salvation during the Armenian genocide, was published in
2004. Having gained positives responses, in 2010 Cetin published the
second book `Hrant's sons' dedicated to the memory of Hrant Dink,
which tells the stories of the people of the Armenian origin living at
the territory of Turkey.
From: Baghdasarian
Thursday, May 12, 14:09
Famous for her books and professional activity in the legal sphere
Fethiye-khanum was calmly sitting at a small chair in the middle of a
big exposition hall. Too much balanced, this woman was actually
shedding out huge flow of will which made me think over my every word
addressed to her.
Having interrupted her thoughts I carefully tried to know if she is
free for a short talk, she replied with a very much admiring smile and
said it will be pleasure for her to talk to me...
Fethiye-khanum, tell me please your story. Nobody but you can present
the relations of people in the mixed reality of today's Turkey.
Listening to me, she started her story of the fight for justice.
Many people know me in Turkey, but in Armenia I am more known because
of Hrant Dink's murder, though I had started my fight long before this
sad event...It happened in 2004 when my first book `My grandmother' was
published. As you know, at the age of reason I learned from my mother,
she is an Armenian. I told my story in the book but just from the
human point of view. I have never criticized the Turkish authorities,
never reminded about the Genocide. I have just told the story of an
unhappy family which was trying to save from death and violence. My
decision was not simple, it came to me as a result of long thought
about this topic, and you know, all those arguments and debates about
the genocide have been more discovering and deepening this topic and
taking it away from resolving. Moreover, the human factor has been
always ignored in the political context, though this global story
consists of separate persons...
By means of this book I tried to open the door from this side. I
wanted to tell and show to everybody that there people in all this,
which we have forgotten about.
The year when the book was published was remarkable for Turkey, as
just since 2004 it has started making the first steps towards the
European integration. For this reason, the nationalistic forces became
more active in the country and the situation was extremely tense. Just
since that year several lawsuits have been filed against Hrant Dink.
Other my friends journalists also were repressed by nationalistic
forces. However, against the background of all this, my book was
distributed without any obstacle.
What was the reason of the tolerance of the authorities to the book?
I think there are two main reasons, why they did not touch me. First,
because of the fact that I did not mention the word `genocide' in the
book and did not put the main stress on it. In fact, they had no
catch, on the basis of which they could file a lawsuit against me.
Secondly, the authorities know the more actively they react at any
phenomena, the more active the society reacts on them. The aggressive
policy regarding the book would lead to raising of the public interest
to it. Here is the slogan of the authorities: `You are the Turk, You
are Muslim'. However, this book shatters these stereotypes. This is
its force, and if they promoted agitation of this book, the whole
ideological system would be broken. For this reason, they simply shut
their eyes to it.
Does it mean you have found the key to establish the Armenian-Turkish relation?
Yes, it does, she said smiling happily, sometimes there is no need
making big steps, one can reach the top with small steps too. By
connecting small links with each other, we shall create the line of
destinies and no politicians will be able to contradict against it.
Over the last minutes of our talk I felt more and more how exited she
was on the matter. She seemed to say something else but did not dare
to. Finally controlling emotions she said: `Almost 100 years have past
since we managed to get something, but nevertheless, it is a big
attainment. I can assure you that the number of people in Turkey
concerned about recognition of the Genocide is growing. I believe,
that one day gradually raising from the depth of the society this
invisible wave will wash off everything on its way. There is no
obstacle for water'.
After such words I had nothing to reply. I was feeling the confidence
of this strong person, which had many obstacle on her way, comparing
to which, my efforts and failures seemed to me just miserable grains...
Half-Armenian, the writer and lawyer Fethiye Cetin is the Dink's
family lawyer. Hrant Dink was murdered in January 2007. Her first book
`My grandmother', which tells the story of her grandmother, which
obtained salvation during the Armenian genocide, was published in
2004. Having gained positives responses, in 2010 Cetin published the
second book `Hrant's sons' dedicated to the memory of Hrant Dink,
which tells the stories of the people of the Armenian origin living at
the territory of Turkey.
From: Baghdasarian