DINK WIDOW ATTENDS RECEPTION IN U.S. EMBASSY IN ANKARA
PanARMENIAN.Net
March 23, 2012 - 18:32 AMT
PanARMENIAN.Net - Journalist Nedim 癬^ener, who was recently released
from prison after spending nearly a year in jail in a coup plot case,
was among guests invited to a reception hosted on Thursday, March
22 evening by U.S. Ambassador Francis J. Ricciardone in honor of
a deputy from the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP),
Today's Zaman reported.
癬^ener's release from jail has been welcome by the European Union,
which Turkey aspires to join, and the Turkish government also said
the release was a positive development." But detention of journalists
including 癬^ener in coup plot cases has created a rift with the
U.S. in the past.
In February 2011, the U.S. ambassador received a barrage of criticism
from the Turkish government when he said the U.S. was trying to make
sense of Turkey's stated support for freedom of the press and the
detention of journalists. "On the one hand there exists a stated policy
supporting a free press. On the other hand, journalists are put in
detention. We are trying to make sense of this," Ricciardone had said.
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan accused him of being a "novice"
in Turkish matters.
The reception at the U.S. embassy, hosted in honor of CHP deputy
癬^afak Pavey for a recent award she received, was attended also
by the CHP leader Kemal K覺l覺cdaroglu; Rakel Dink, the widow
of Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink; and two deputies from
Turkey's pro-Kurdish Peace and Democracy Party (BDP), S覺rr覺 Sak覺k
and Hasip Kaplan.
A years-long case on the murder of Dink recently ended with a
"frustrating" conclusion, according to the Dink family. The family
and their lawyers say the judiciary failed to shed light on the
masterminds behind the 2007 assassination of the journalist.
PanARMENIAN.Net
March 23, 2012 - 18:32 AMT
PanARMENIAN.Net - Journalist Nedim 癬^ener, who was recently released
from prison after spending nearly a year in jail in a coup plot case,
was among guests invited to a reception hosted on Thursday, March
22 evening by U.S. Ambassador Francis J. Ricciardone in honor of
a deputy from the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP),
Today's Zaman reported.
癬^ener's release from jail has been welcome by the European Union,
which Turkey aspires to join, and the Turkish government also said
the release was a positive development." But detention of journalists
including 癬^ener in coup plot cases has created a rift with the
U.S. in the past.
In February 2011, the U.S. ambassador received a barrage of criticism
from the Turkish government when he said the U.S. was trying to make
sense of Turkey's stated support for freedom of the press and the
detention of journalists. "On the one hand there exists a stated policy
supporting a free press. On the other hand, journalists are put in
detention. We are trying to make sense of this," Ricciardone had said.
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan accused him of being a "novice"
in Turkish matters.
The reception at the U.S. embassy, hosted in honor of CHP deputy
癬^afak Pavey for a recent award she received, was attended also
by the CHP leader Kemal K覺l覺cdaroglu; Rakel Dink, the widow
of Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink; and two deputies from
Turkey's pro-Kurdish Peace and Democracy Party (BDP), S覺rr覺 Sak覺k
and Hasip Kaplan.
A years-long case on the murder of Dink recently ended with a
"frustrating" conclusion, according to the Dink family. The family
and their lawyers say the judiciary failed to shed light on the
masterminds behind the 2007 assassination of the journalist.