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COE HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSIONER 'SHOCKED' BY HRANT DINK VERDICT
Today's Zaman
Jan 20 2012
Turkey
Council of Europe (CoE) Commissioner for Human Rights Thomas Hammarberg
stated in İstanbul on Friday that he was "shocked" by the court's
decision to acquit all 19 suspects of membership in a terrorist
organization in the 2007 murder of Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant
Dink. Only one suspect received a life sentence.
The İstanbul 14th High Criminal Court hearing issued its ruling
earlier this week in the 25th hearing of the case. Primary suspects
Yasin Hayal and Erhan Tuncel and all other suspects were cleared of
charges of membership in a terrorist organization in the murder of
Dink, who was shot dead outside the office of the Turkish-Armenian
weekly Agos on Jan. 19, 2007.
Hammarberg, during a discussion on the newly released Turkish
translation of his "Human Rights in Europe" report, echoed the surprise
of the Turkish public in the wake of Tuesday's verdict. "I was very
surprised by the court's ruling on Tuesday. I was even more surprised
to hear the prosecutor and judge in the case were also dissatisfied
with the outcome," the commissioner said.
The Dink case's presiding judge, Rustem Eryılmaz, told the Vatan
daily on Thursday that, while he personally cannot deny the murder was
well-organized, the evidence submitted to the court was not sufficient
to issue such a ruling.
"Then why did they close the case? I am surprised a judge could say
this and close the case. He [Eryılmaz] could have won more time by
asking for clarification," Hammarberg said.
In his report on human rights shortcomings across Europe, Hammarberg
mentions Dink along with other journalists who were murdered in
Europe for simply doing their jobs. According to the report, which
was published before this week's verdict, "No effort must be spared
in apprehending and bringing to justice not only the actual killers,
but also those who ordered these murders."
More than 40,000 people took to the streets on Wednesday to commemorate
the death of Agos' former editor-in-chief and one of Turkey's great
whistleblowers. Hammarberg joined the march from İstanbul's Taksim
Square to the office where Dink died. "I was there for the march and
saw the demonstrations. It was all very impressive, not only because
of the number of people but also because the majority of people there
were ordinary Turks," he said. Calling the marches a "signal" that
there is a lack of trust in Turkish authorities, Hammarberg argued
that people clearly demonstrated they do not accept the court ruling.
"The Dink murder verdict is absolutely a test case," noted Hammarberg,
saying it is crucial that everyone involved in the murder and cover-up
must be identified and prosecuted. If not, the gap between the public
at large and the government will continue to widen, as in countries
around Europe, he argued. One of the grossest human rights violation
in the opinion of the point man of the CoE's Human Rights Commission
is the number of detainees across Europe Hammarberg is convinced
are innocent.
"I am convinced there are a number of innocent people in prisons in
Europe. I make visits to these prisons regularly not only to check
that the walls are painted and the food is good, but also to talk
with and listen to the imprisoned people there. And I must say the
cases against a number of them are very thin," he said.
Many of the detainees he has met with have not yet seen the courtroom.
"In some countries, more than half of those in prisons are pre-trial
detainees," Hammarberg said.
But Hammarberg, concluding the event on a positive note, explained
why he remains hopeful about the expansion of human rights in Turkey.
"There are so many problems and shortcomings, yes. But the way we
should respond is to put concrete demands in front of those who make
the decisions," the human rights commissioner said.
Giving a historical perspective to the global human rights struggle,
Hammarberg recalled the United Nation's progressive drafting and
implementation in 1948 of the first universal declaration of human
rights. "This document easily could have been shelved, but it
became the starting point for a global movement," he said. If the
UN declaration was a spark, Hammarberg stressed it was civil society
that fueled their governments to change.
"The question is: do we have the desire and energy to build on that
historic document and momentum? When you talk with people, they do want
human rights not just for themselves but others as well. We have active
civil society groups, and this is the basis for optimism," he said.
Hammarberg made a call for the continued enhancement of human rights
around the world. "After all, what is life about if people are not
fairly treated, don't have the right to speak and don't enjoy decent
standards of living?"
Today's Zaman
Jan 20 2012
Turkey
Council of Europe (CoE) Commissioner for Human Rights Thomas Hammarberg
stated in İstanbul on Friday that he was "shocked" by the court's
decision to acquit all 19 suspects of membership in a terrorist
organization in the 2007 murder of Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant
Dink. Only one suspect received a life sentence.
The İstanbul 14th High Criminal Court hearing issued its ruling
earlier this week in the 25th hearing of the case. Primary suspects
Yasin Hayal and Erhan Tuncel and all other suspects were cleared of
charges of membership in a terrorist organization in the murder of
Dink, who was shot dead outside the office of the Turkish-Armenian
weekly Agos on Jan. 19, 2007.
Hammarberg, during a discussion on the newly released Turkish
translation of his "Human Rights in Europe" report, echoed the surprise
of the Turkish public in the wake of Tuesday's verdict. "I was very
surprised by the court's ruling on Tuesday. I was even more surprised
to hear the prosecutor and judge in the case were also dissatisfied
with the outcome," the commissioner said.
The Dink case's presiding judge, Rustem Eryılmaz, told the Vatan
daily on Thursday that, while he personally cannot deny the murder was
well-organized, the evidence submitted to the court was not sufficient
to issue such a ruling.
"Then why did they close the case? I am surprised a judge could say
this and close the case. He [Eryılmaz] could have won more time by
asking for clarification," Hammarberg said.
In his report on human rights shortcomings across Europe, Hammarberg
mentions Dink along with other journalists who were murdered in
Europe for simply doing their jobs. According to the report, which
was published before this week's verdict, "No effort must be spared
in apprehending and bringing to justice not only the actual killers,
but also those who ordered these murders."
More than 40,000 people took to the streets on Wednesday to commemorate
the death of Agos' former editor-in-chief and one of Turkey's great
whistleblowers. Hammarberg joined the march from İstanbul's Taksim
Square to the office where Dink died. "I was there for the march and
saw the demonstrations. It was all very impressive, not only because
of the number of people but also because the majority of people there
were ordinary Turks," he said. Calling the marches a "signal" that
there is a lack of trust in Turkish authorities, Hammarberg argued
that people clearly demonstrated they do not accept the court ruling.
"The Dink murder verdict is absolutely a test case," noted Hammarberg,
saying it is crucial that everyone involved in the murder and cover-up
must be identified and prosecuted. If not, the gap between the public
at large and the government will continue to widen, as in countries
around Europe, he argued. One of the grossest human rights violation
in the opinion of the point man of the CoE's Human Rights Commission
is the number of detainees across Europe Hammarberg is convinced
are innocent.
"I am convinced there are a number of innocent people in prisons in
Europe. I make visits to these prisons regularly not only to check
that the walls are painted and the food is good, but also to talk
with and listen to the imprisoned people there. And I must say the
cases against a number of them are very thin," he said.
Many of the detainees he has met with have not yet seen the courtroom.
"In some countries, more than half of those in prisons are pre-trial
detainees," Hammarberg said.
But Hammarberg, concluding the event on a positive note, explained
why he remains hopeful about the expansion of human rights in Turkey.
"There are so many problems and shortcomings, yes. But the way we
should respond is to put concrete demands in front of those who make
the decisions," the human rights commissioner said.
Giving a historical perspective to the global human rights struggle,
Hammarberg recalled the United Nation's progressive drafting and
implementation in 1948 of the first universal declaration of human
rights. "This document easily could have been shelved, but it
became the starting point for a global movement," he said. If the
UN declaration was a spark, Hammarberg stressed it was civil society
that fueled their governments to change.
"The question is: do we have the desire and energy to build on that
historic document and momentum? When you talk with people, they do want
human rights not just for themselves but others as well. We have active
civil society groups, and this is the basis for optimism," he said.
Hammarberg made a call for the continued enhancement of human rights
around the world. "After all, what is life about if people are not
fairly treated, don't have the right to speak and don't enjoy decent
standards of living?"