24 January 2007
EDITOR'S MURDER SHOCKS A NATION
Tens of thousands of mourners poured into the streets of Istanbul, Turkey, on 23 January 2007 to mark the death of editor Hrant Dink, whose murder last week stunned the country.
Dink was gunned down outside the offices of his newspaper "Agos" on 19 January.
Dink was an outspoken critic of the Turkish government's refusal to publicly acknowledge what many believe was a genocidal campaign waged against ethnic Armenians during the last years of the Ottoman Empire. The topic remains one of the most sensitive issues in Turkey today.
Dink's newspaper sought to provide a voice for Turkey's Armenian community and create a dialogue between Turks and Armenians. He had faced prosecution for his views and had reportedly also received death threats.
Turkish police have arrested a 17-year-old man suspected of carrying out the murder.
Many IFEX members have issued statements condemning the murder, including IPS Communication Foundation (bianet), International PEN, ARTICLE 19, the International Publishers Association (IPA), PEN Canada, PEN American Center, Index on Censorship, the International Press Institute (IPI), Human Rights Watch, Reporters Without Borders (Reporters sans frontières, RSF), the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ).
Turkey's Penal Code has been criticised by many as being a repressive tool for nationalists to restrict discussions of sensitive issues such as Turkey's historical treatment of Armenians. Under Article 301 of the Code, anyone who "humiliates the government and judicial organs of the state or the police or military structures" can be jailed for up to three years.
Human Rights Watch notes that in 2006, more than 50 individuals were indicted under Article 301 and similar laws for statements or speeches that questioned state policy on controversial topics such as religion, ethnicity, and the role of the army.
Visit these links:
- bianet: http://www.bianet.org/index_eng_root.htm- Index on Censorship: http://tinyurl.com/2pxdx8- Human Rights Watch: http://hrw.org/english/docs/2007/01/20/turkey15135.htm- ARTICLE 19: http://www.article19.org/pdfs/press/turkey-murder-of-hrant-dink.pdf- IPA: http://www.ipa-uie.org/PR%20Hrant%20Dink%2019Jan07.pdf- International PEN: http://www.internationalpen.org.uk/- PEN American Center: http://www.pen.org/viewmedia.php/prmMID/1135/prmID/172- PEN Canada: http://www.pencanada.ca/media/Media-HrantDink19Jan07.pdf- IPI: http://tinyurl.com/2tludh- CPJ: http://www.cpj.org/news/2007/mideast/turkey19jan07na.html- RSF: http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=20498- IFJ: http://www.ifj.org/default.asp?Index=4573&Language=EN- Thousands Turn Up for Editor's Funeral: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6289275.stm