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THOUSANDS IN TURKEY PROTEST VERDICT IN JOURNALIST'S MURDER
By SEBNEM ARSU
New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/20/world/europe/in-turkey-thousands-protest-verdict-in-journalists-murder.html
Jan 20 2012
ISTANBUL - Tens of thousands of people marched in central Istanbul on
Thursday to mark the fifth anniversary of the murder of the prominent
journalist Hrant Dink, and to protest a Turkish criminal court's
refusal this week to investigate whether the killing had resulted
from a conspiracy by an illegal network.
Mourners left red carnations and signs reading "This case won't end
here" at the spot where Mr. Dink, an ethnic Armenian, was shot to
death on Jan. 19, 2007, outside the offices of Agos, a biweekly
newspaper in Turkish and Armenian that he edited. Mr. Dink, 52,
was a leading spokesman for Armenians in Turkey and an advocate for
peace and minorities' rights. He campaigned relentlessly for official
recognition of the killings of more than one million Armenians by
the Ottoman Army in 1915.
Mr. Dink's killer was convicted and sentenced in July. On Tuesday, an
Istanbul court of three judges also convicted Yasin Hayal, a militant
ultranationalist of instigating Mr. Dink's murder and sentenced him
to life in prison. But it acquitted 18 defendants on charges that
they were part of a larger conspiracy behind the killing. Prosecutors
filed an appeal on Thursday.
Public outrage against the ruling focused on what many people see as
the strength of illegal factions within the government and the lack
of political will that obstructed an in-depth investigation into
the murder.
President Abdullah Gul and senior officials from the pro-Islamic
Justice and Development Party, to which Mr. Gul belonged before his
election, also expressed disappointment in the ruling.
President Gul said the case was a test for Turkey, and he urged
people to remain patient until the appeals process was completed. "The
conclusion of this case in transparency and fairness in line with our
legislation is an important test for us," the semiofficial Anatolian
News Agency quoted him as saying.
The reaction of Mr. Gul and other officials, however, failed to
satisfy many in the crowd on Thursday.
"I don't believe in the sincerity of the government," Serpil Sarac, an
accountant, said as she leaned against a shop window with two friends,
holding signs. "They are the majority government, so if they are not
able to do anything about this injustice, then who can?"
Many in the crowd shared similar concerns while they silently held
signs in black that read in Turkish and Armenian: "We are all Hrant.
We are all Armenian."
"This ruling hurts our public conscience so badly, when it is crystal
clear that this murder was the job of an illegal network," said
Aliye Ucak, an advertising salesman, as he stood directly across the
street from where Mr. Dink was shot. "If state institutions like the
intelligence agency or the security forces were questioned properly,
there could have been a chance for a cleaner future."
Nedim Sener, an award-winning investigative journalist who wrote a
book about his own investigation into Mr. Dink's murder, said senior
members of the security forces and other state agencies prevented
timely intelligence about Mr. Dink's murder from reaching the courts,
a view held by many.
Mr. Sener has been in jail for more than 11 months on charges of
aiding a terrorist organization. He says the charges are retaliation
by senior state officials mentioned in his research.
The prosecution in the case joined the public outcry, issuing a rare
public statement rebutting claims by the court that there was not
enough evidence to prove that Mr. Dink's murder was an organized crime.
"These acquittals are against the law," the chief prosecutor, Hikmet
Usta, said, according to NTV, a private broadcaster. "We want to say
that there is both an organization and evidence to prove it. Actually,
the evidence is more than enough."
Mr. Usta said that when the court issued its verdict, the ruling on
one of the suspects had been left off, which he said showed the poor
preparation of evidence in the case over five years.
By SEBNEM ARSU
New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/20/world/europe/in-turkey-thousands-protest-verdict-in-journalists-murder.html
Jan 20 2012
ISTANBUL - Tens of thousands of people marched in central Istanbul on
Thursday to mark the fifth anniversary of the murder of the prominent
journalist Hrant Dink, and to protest a Turkish criminal court's
refusal this week to investigate whether the killing had resulted
from a conspiracy by an illegal network.
Mourners left red carnations and signs reading "This case won't end
here" at the spot where Mr. Dink, an ethnic Armenian, was shot to
death on Jan. 19, 2007, outside the offices of Agos, a biweekly
newspaper in Turkish and Armenian that he edited. Mr. Dink, 52,
was a leading spokesman for Armenians in Turkey and an advocate for
peace and minorities' rights. He campaigned relentlessly for official
recognition of the killings of more than one million Armenians by
the Ottoman Army in 1915.
Mr. Dink's killer was convicted and sentenced in July. On Tuesday, an
Istanbul court of three judges also convicted Yasin Hayal, a militant
ultranationalist of instigating Mr. Dink's murder and sentenced him
to life in prison. But it acquitted 18 defendants on charges that
they were part of a larger conspiracy behind the killing. Prosecutors
filed an appeal on Thursday.
Public outrage against the ruling focused on what many people see as
the strength of illegal factions within the government and the lack
of political will that obstructed an in-depth investigation into
the murder.
President Abdullah Gul and senior officials from the pro-Islamic
Justice and Development Party, to which Mr. Gul belonged before his
election, also expressed disappointment in the ruling.
President Gul said the case was a test for Turkey, and he urged
people to remain patient until the appeals process was completed. "The
conclusion of this case in transparency and fairness in line with our
legislation is an important test for us," the semiofficial Anatolian
News Agency quoted him as saying.
The reaction of Mr. Gul and other officials, however, failed to
satisfy many in the crowd on Thursday.
"I don't believe in the sincerity of the government," Serpil Sarac, an
accountant, said as she leaned against a shop window with two friends,
holding signs. "They are the majority government, so if they are not
able to do anything about this injustice, then who can?"
Many in the crowd shared similar concerns while they silently held
signs in black that read in Turkish and Armenian: "We are all Hrant.
We are all Armenian."
"This ruling hurts our public conscience so badly, when it is crystal
clear that this murder was the job of an illegal network," said
Aliye Ucak, an advertising salesman, as he stood directly across the
street from where Mr. Dink was shot. "If state institutions like the
intelligence agency or the security forces were questioned properly,
there could have been a chance for a cleaner future."
Nedim Sener, an award-winning investigative journalist who wrote a
book about his own investigation into Mr. Dink's murder, said senior
members of the security forces and other state agencies prevented
timely intelligence about Mr. Dink's murder from reaching the courts,
a view held by many.
Mr. Sener has been in jail for more than 11 months on charges of
aiding a terrorist organization. He says the charges are retaliation
by senior state officials mentioned in his research.
The prosecution in the case joined the public outcry, issuing a rare
public statement rebutting claims by the court that there was not
enough evidence to prove that Mr. Dink's murder was an organized crime.
"These acquittals are against the law," the chief prosecutor, Hikmet
Usta, said, according to NTV, a private broadcaster. "We want to say
that there is both an organization and evidence to prove it. Actually,
the evidence is more than enough."
Mr. Usta said that when the court issued its verdict, the ruling on
one of the suspects had been left off, which he said showed the poor
preparation of evidence in the case over five years.