The Assassination of Hrant Dink

[Hovik]

I hope nobody gets confused.

This was not one maniac who did this... NO NO NO

This was the work of a society, of a political system, of a national trend.

Article 301 and the society that supported it was the bullet, Turkish Nationalim was the gun, and hate was the triggerman...

This is not an accident, this is not a one-time fluke, this is a continuance of the Armenian Genocide.

[Hovik]

Erdogan said the attack was a "shock" and an "insult" to the Turkish nation and a "dark day" -- not only for Dink's family but also for all of Turkey.

Interesting that the murder of an innocent man, and talking about the Armenian Genocide are equal insults to the Turkish Nation...

http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/europe/01/20/turkey.dink/index.html

[TURKIYE]

Killer ----> Ogün Samar

[Hovik]

Killer ----> Ogün Samar

If Turkey had any honor, any remorse at all for what he did they would extradite this animal to Armenia immediately, for trial and sentencing.

We know Turkey has neither and will therefore do nothing of the sort.../

[TURKIYE]

Today, we are all Hrant Dink, today we are all Turk

[Joseph]

Dink's Final Column

Dinks last entry: Please note that the translation is not that great.

The irony of historyLet's first repeat the news: ?The opening date of the Surp Haç Armenian Church of Ahtamar Island in Van, which was restored last year but remained unopened, has been postponed for the third time. In a written statement from the governor of Van it was announced that Ahtamar Church, the restoration of which is complete, will be opened to tourism on April 11. It was also said that the opening ceremony, which will be attended by international guests, will be organized by the governor of Van and the Ministry of Tourism.?Ten years ago, I addressed public officials in Van with my piece, ?The Ahtamar workers battalion,? and said:?Instead of creating ?monsters' to attract tourists note the historical sights in front of your eyes. Why does one need such mistaken steps? Van is a heaven of historical heritage. Why don't we sit down and think about how to restore this region? ?Armenians will come' they say. So what? Let them come and see the places of their ancestors. What's wrong with that??And I added: ?If you need help, we are ready to help. O history! O future! The youth in Turkey, Armenia and the diaspora are volunteers. ?The Ahtamar workers battalion' is ready for your orders... Know this. ?Come, let's not restore the Ahtamar Church merely as a building. Let's also restore our frayed souls.? At last, after 10 years, the restoration of Ahtamar is finally done. We would love to see Turkey and Armenia cooperate in this restoration. But, unfortunately it wasn't the case.Anyhow, one needs to mention and give thanks for the meticulous work of the project manager Cahit Zeydan, who tried to bring experts from Armenia for consultation, and was able to add the Turkish-Armenian architect Zakarya Mildano?lu to the project. They did their best and a great job. However the bureaucrats and the politicians messed it up. They weren't able to realize the opening of the church. First they postponed the opening, which was announced as Nov. 4, 2006, to April 2007 because of ?weather conditions.? Then Atilla Koç, the tourism minister, announced that the ceremony will take place on April 24. Then came the reactions to Koç's timing. Armenian Patriarch Mutafyan declared ?no Armenian, including himself, would join the ceremony if it was held on April 24.?Last week the subject was discussed in Parliament. CHP ?zmir deputy Erdal Karademir asked whether holding the opening ceremony on April 24, the anniversary of the Armenian genocide, was the result of a specific AKP policy.The nationalist press, on the other hand, carried the opening of the church into its headlines as ?The treasonous opening in Van.?And now the date is announced as April 11.It could only be possible to put a right job on a wrong course so successfully. The impossible-to-hide hidden motive could not be more revealing.A real comedy… A real tragedy…The government hasn't still been able to formulate a correct approach to the ?Armenian question.?Its real aim is not to solve the problem, but to gain points like a wrestler in a contest. How and when it will make the right move and defeat its opponent. That's the only concern.This is not earnestness.The state calls on Armenian historians to discuss history, but does not shy from trying its own intellectuals who have an unorthodox rhetoric on the Armenian genocide.It restores an Armenian church in the Southeast, but only thinks, ?How can I use this for political gains in the world, how can I sell it?? The shifting of the opening of the Ahtamar Church to April 24 is a clear indication of this dishonest thinking.And now pay attention!While the rejection coming from the nationalist camp and even from the Armenian patriarch to the date of the opening creates a chance to correct the mistake, an irony of history appears on the scene.The irony says, ?Since you have shown irresponsibility, let me add to it,? and reveals that the newly chosen date, April 11, is indeed April 24!The April 11 of the year 1915 is exactly the April 24 of today, due to the difference between the old and new calendars.No wonder the date April 24 is a later addition to the Armenian literature, with the coming of the new Turkish calendar. That date, on which the Armenian intellectuals and leaders were sent to oblivion, was indeed April 11, 1915.Now a question remains:Will those who have found April 24 problematic and have opted for April 11 instead choose to change the timing again?Or one could ask it this way: Are you sure? Is this your final decision?

[Hovik]

Today, we are all Hrant Dink, today we are all Turk

Wasn't the phrase "today we are all Armenian"?

[TURKIYE]

Turk & Armenian friend in Turkey.

Sory i dont speak English.

[Joseph]

Turk & Armenian friend in Turkey.

Sory i dont speak English.

That's very much an oversimplification.

[1.5 million]

"In Turkey, more than 1,200,000 Armenians were put to death for no other reason than they were Christians… . After the end of the war, some 150 Turkish war criminals were arrested and interned by the British Government on the Island of Malta. The Armenians sent a delegation to the peace conference in Versailles. They were demanding justice. Then one day, the delegation read in the newspapers that all Turkish war criminals were released. I was shocked. A nation was killed and the guilty persons were set free. Why is a man punished when he kills another man? Why is the killing of a million a lesser crime than the killing of a single individual?”

Raphael Lemkin



To all Turks who express remorse over the death of this one man I ask - when will you express remorse over the death (deliberate extermination) of our entire people and the purposefully squelching of our culture and civilization? This single death/killing (of Hrant Dink) can only be viewed in the context of the continuing effort by the Turkish people/society/government to eliminate and disenfranchise the Armenians of Anatolia. By your denials (individually, on the part of your government and as a people) you perpetuate the Armenian Genocide - you are a full and guilty partner. Your expressions of remorse for this one death ring hollow and are at their core insincere. You have no concept of our pain and no internalization of the true shame you should feel as a people. Dink was Armenian. He lived in Turkey and was a citizen of your nation - however he was no Turk. He was just another victim of Turks. So you can take your shallow expressions of remorse and solidarity and shove it as far as they will go - maybe you will shake something loose that is covering up your humanity and maybe when you can demonstrate some evidence that such a thing has occured - maybe then we can talk. Until then you are worthy of nothing but blame and despite for this murder and the fact that none of our dead or our living can rest in peace until justice prevails.