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CONSERVATIVES LAUNCH SIGNATURE CAMPAIGN URGING JUSTICE TO BE SERVED IN DINK CASE
Today's Zaman
March 13 2012
Turkey
A group of intellectuals, journalists, activists and members of
civil society organizations mainly from the conservative wing of the
Turkish public have launched an online signature campaign demanding
an extensive and fair retrial in the murder case of Turkish-Armenian
journalist Hrant Dink.
The group has launched the petition website adalettalebimizvar.com,
where people can show their support by putting their names under
the call.
The late editor-in-chief of the Turkish-Armenian weekly Agos, Dink was
shot dead in broad daylight on Jan. 19, 2007, by an ultranationalist
teenager outside the offices of his newspaper in İstanbul. The gunman,
Ogun Samast, and 18 others were brought to trial. The investigation
into his murder was stalled, but the perpetrator and his accomplices
were put on trial. However, the final ruling of the İstanbul 14th
High Criminal Court issued in January failed to please those expecting
justice to be served. Samast stood trial in a juvenile court because
he was a minor at the time of the murder. He was recently sentenced
to 22 years, 10 months in prison by the court. In a separate trial,
two gendarmerie officers were convicted on charges of dereliction of
duty in the run-up to the Dink murder.
Another suspect, Yasin Hayal, was given life in prison for inciting
Samast to murder. However, Erhan Tuncel, who worked as an informant for
the Trabzon Police Department, was found not guilty of masterminding
the murder. The prosecution believes the killers are affiliated with
the Ergenekon network, a shadowy crime network that has alleged links
within the state and whose suspected members are currently standing
trial on charges of plotting to overthrow the government.
Neslihan Akbulut, secretary-general of the Women's Rights Association
against Discrimination (AK-DER), who is among the organizers of the
campaign, said the deep disappointment caused by the court's final
verdict in the Dink murder case was what prompted them to launch such
a campaign.
"The worst thing to do [following the court's decision] would be
to not take any action. So, we launched this campaign to raise our
voice against the injustice. The Hrant Dink case is the case of all
who seek democracy and freedoms in Turkey," Akbulut told Today's Zaman.
"Five years have passed since the massacre of Hrant Dink. Despite
the years that have passed, no determination has emerged to cast
full light on the murder. The deep masterminds of this murder, whose
existence is known by all, were not exposed. From the very first day
of the murder, a collective bureaucratic resistance was shown, aiming
to prevent the fulfillment of justice. The political authority, which
was also targeted by this murder, failed to show the determination to
break this resistance and ensure a fair trial took place. In short,
the organization or the structure that carried out this murder was not
unearthed and punished, justice was not served," wrote the organizers
of the campaign, voicing their deep disappointment over the situation.
Referring to a verse in the Muslim holy book, the Quran, which says
the unjust killing of one man is equal to the killing of all mankind,
the organizers of the signature campaign said, as Muslims, it is out of
the question for them to remain silent regarding this obvious injustice
in the Dink case and not intervene according to their beliefs.
"We call on everyone and all institutions with an Islamic tendency
to fulfill their responsibilities and, after the five wasted years,
to work more actively with people of conscience from all circles
to ensure an extensive and real retrial in the Dink murder case,"
the organizers of the campaign said in the petition.
Another organizer of the petition campaign, Ahmet Faruk Unsal, head of
the human rights group MAZLUMDER, said in organizing this campaign,
they wanted to announce that as people of conscience, they are aware
of the game that has been played with the murder of Dink and are
disturbed by the court process, which resulted in disappointment.
He said it is very pleasing that different circles in Turkish society
share the same views and common sense regarding the Dink murder.
"We wanted to show that although the state's mind is confused regarding
the Dink murder, the public's mind is very clear on this," he noted.
Today's Zaman
March 13 2012
Turkey
A group of intellectuals, journalists, activists and members of
civil society organizations mainly from the conservative wing of the
Turkish public have launched an online signature campaign demanding
an extensive and fair retrial in the murder case of Turkish-Armenian
journalist Hrant Dink.
The group has launched the petition website adalettalebimizvar.com,
where people can show their support by putting their names under
the call.
The late editor-in-chief of the Turkish-Armenian weekly Agos, Dink was
shot dead in broad daylight on Jan. 19, 2007, by an ultranationalist
teenager outside the offices of his newspaper in İstanbul. The gunman,
Ogun Samast, and 18 others were brought to trial. The investigation
into his murder was stalled, but the perpetrator and his accomplices
were put on trial. However, the final ruling of the İstanbul 14th
High Criminal Court issued in January failed to please those expecting
justice to be served. Samast stood trial in a juvenile court because
he was a minor at the time of the murder. He was recently sentenced
to 22 years, 10 months in prison by the court. In a separate trial,
two gendarmerie officers were convicted on charges of dereliction of
duty in the run-up to the Dink murder.
Another suspect, Yasin Hayal, was given life in prison for inciting
Samast to murder. However, Erhan Tuncel, who worked as an informant for
the Trabzon Police Department, was found not guilty of masterminding
the murder. The prosecution believes the killers are affiliated with
the Ergenekon network, a shadowy crime network that has alleged links
within the state and whose suspected members are currently standing
trial on charges of plotting to overthrow the government.
Neslihan Akbulut, secretary-general of the Women's Rights Association
against Discrimination (AK-DER), who is among the organizers of the
campaign, said the deep disappointment caused by the court's final
verdict in the Dink murder case was what prompted them to launch such
a campaign.
"The worst thing to do [following the court's decision] would be
to not take any action. So, we launched this campaign to raise our
voice against the injustice. The Hrant Dink case is the case of all
who seek democracy and freedoms in Turkey," Akbulut told Today's Zaman.
"Five years have passed since the massacre of Hrant Dink. Despite
the years that have passed, no determination has emerged to cast
full light on the murder. The deep masterminds of this murder, whose
existence is known by all, were not exposed. From the very first day
of the murder, a collective bureaucratic resistance was shown, aiming
to prevent the fulfillment of justice. The political authority, which
was also targeted by this murder, failed to show the determination to
break this resistance and ensure a fair trial took place. In short,
the organization or the structure that carried out this murder was not
unearthed and punished, justice was not served," wrote the organizers
of the campaign, voicing their deep disappointment over the situation.
Referring to a verse in the Muslim holy book, the Quran, which says
the unjust killing of one man is equal to the killing of all mankind,
the organizers of the signature campaign said, as Muslims, it is out of
the question for them to remain silent regarding this obvious injustice
in the Dink case and not intervene according to their beliefs.
"We call on everyone and all institutions with an Islamic tendency
to fulfill their responsibilities and, after the five wasted years,
to work more actively with people of conscience from all circles
to ensure an extensive and real retrial in the Dink murder case,"
the organizers of the campaign said in the petition.
Another organizer of the petition campaign, Ahmet Faruk Unsal, head of
the human rights group MAZLUMDER, said in organizing this campaign,
they wanted to announce that as people of conscience, they are aware
of the game that has been played with the murder of Dink and are
disturbed by the court process, which resulted in disappointment.
He said it is very pleasing that different circles in Turkish society
share the same views and common sense regarding the Dink murder.
"We wanted to show that although the state's mind is confused regarding
the Dink murder, the public's mind is very clear on this," he noted.