The Assassination of Hrant Dink

[Joseph]

Was Pamuk next?

International Herald Tribune


Suspect in killing of journalist threatens Turkish novelist Pamuk

The Associated Press
Wednesday, January 24, 2007

ISTANBUL, Turkey
A man suspected of inciting the murder of a prominent journalist issued what appeared to be a threat against Nobel Prize-winning novelist Orhan Pamuk on Wednesday, a Turkish news agency reported.

"Orhan Pamuk, be smart, be smart!" Yasin Hayal shouted to reporters as he was being brought to an Istanbul courtroom, according to the Anatolia news agency.

Hayal, a nationalist militant, confessed to inciting last week's slaying of ethnic Armenian journalist Hrant Dink and to providing a gun and money to the alleged killer, police said.

An unemployed teenage dropout named Ogun Samast confessed to shooting Dink in a four-page statement given to prosecutors Wednesday, Anatolia said. Samast said Hayal told him Dink was "a traitor to his country who insults Turks," and gave him money and a picture of the journalist that he carried with him for a few months.

Dink, editor of the bilingual Turkish-Armenian newspaper Agos, was an influential voice in Turkey's Armenian community who angered nationalists by calling the mass killing of Armenians in the early 20th century genocide.

He was brought to trial numerous times for allegedly "insulting Turkishness," a crime under the notorious article 301 of Turkey's penal code.

Like Dink, Orhan Pamuk also faced trial in Turkey for commenting on the killings of Armenians and had been accused of treason for doing so. And like Dink, he said he received death threats and considered leaving the country because of them.

Pamuk's case for "insulting Turkishness" was thrown out on a technicality, and he went on to win the Nobel Prize in literature last year. He was the first Turk to do so.

Dink's murder inspired a massive outpouring of support for liberal values, including freedom of expression, tolerance and reconciliation between Armenians and Turks, with more than 100,000 people marching in his funeral procession on Tuesday.

But the killing also pointed to Turkey's ongoing problems with extreme nationalism. Most Turks suspect that the killer — who as a teenager will likely receive a lessened prison sentence if found guilty of the crime — might have ties to ultra-nationalist groups that have not yet been revealed.

Dink himself had said that he was being threatened by elements of the "deep state," a term for a shadowy network inside the Turkish military, intelligence and political circles that is believed to control the direction of the state and to use clandestine methods to defend it against perceived threats.

Amid a period of national introspection, Dink's family has called on Turks to look at how they have permitted the creation of an atmosphere that led to his killing.

Interior Minister Abdulkadir Aksu said the crime was carried out by "circles who do not want Turkey to develop and reach the level of prosperous and modern countries." Aksu condemned the attack, saying it had no justification and was being "investigated in great detail."

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan was expected to visit the family later Wednesday in Istanbul.

[ScythianVizier]

Not invented, you're right, but definitely exaggerated by the Turks and the Ottoman Empire.

Europeans exterminated at least more than a hundred million people all across this planet (over last several centuries), and there is yet no other culture that could match such level of brutality.

If you are trying to asser that the Young Turks learned how to commit Genocide from the Western Europeans, I think you need to do some research in Ottoman History. The economic, social and national status of the Ottoman Empire drove them to Genocide. And the only think coming effecting them from Western Europe was their fear that the Gavur of the empire were actually experiencing a renessiance of literature, thought and culture thanks to Western Europe - something that scared the hell out of the Ottomans and particularly the Young Turks.

A reversed version of gavur is a notion that also existed in christian Europe in extreme levels (For example, the name Tartar stems from a zombie-like creature coming from hell), and whilst the christians and jews had rights in the Ottoman Empire, there was no such thing in Europe for the jews or muslims.

If you're looking for reasons to expain the CUP's Genocidal policy - start with fear. Start with Turkey getting their asses handed to them in the Balkans, start with the economic disaster caused by the debasing of the coin system and the Sivis year crisis, start with racism and religious hatred towards Gavur, start with pan turanism.

Economic disasters were initiated by the exploitations of the new world (known as the conquest of paradise) which casued ongoing inflation and corruption (illegal smuggling of raw materials from the Ottoman Empire to Europe). Respectfully, the collapse of the Ottoman coin system was very related to the increased supply levels of precious metals like silver and gold (extracted from European colonies). That is why, the Ottoman budgets (income) couldnt cope with inflation of prices, particularly in 17th and 18th Centuries, and in the 19th Century, the industrial revolution did really blow the empire, and that is why, Turkey even paid Ottoman debts until 1950s.

Damn right, that's what is so scary about Genocide, every nation is capable of it.

Yes, it is scary.

Furthermore if we have to focus more on the human being (which I agree with) then we have to start with the human beings ability to admit guilt, to feel compassion and love for other humans, for the human need to inform him/herself about the past and not live in denial. This is a starting point...

I think, as a Karachay-Balkar whose forefathers were killed in masses and whose people were forced to emigrate to Turkey in masses (back in 1860s), I agree with you. However, the problem is, none of those western/european countries, (which were in my opinion, responsible for the most brutal crimes against humanity) did not recognize these crimes or did not demonstrate any of the humanitarian notions that you stipulated so far (in relation to our ordeal, or in relation to the ordeal of others), and this is really disappointing.

[Helen]

http://www.milliyet.com.tr/content/galeri/yeni/goster.asp?id=1&galeriid=789

[nkirimli]

Ah yes, I knew this was coming. Another Turk who completely misunderstood Hrant Dink's words either willingly or unwillingly (perhaps due to acute illiteracy). In Hrant Dink's editorial for which he was charged, he was saying that Armenians had to get hatred out of their blood but some Turks, mainly those who were out to get Hrant Dink, chose to misinterpret what he was saying and basically translate them into "Turks having polluted and dirty blood". While many Turks and others understood his words, the ulusalci were looking for any reason to drag him through the mud. You are part of that as well it seems. So indeed he was both prosecuted, convicted and then killed for being Armenian. For this he became a target by the ones you seem to admire. As has been witnessed at both his trial and his murder, there were those at to get him and were looking for any reason to do see...even if they had to make one up.

Yes I am "another" Turk who understands something, as it seems.
What ever Hrant Dink wanted to say by those words, "what you say is what is understood". And after his death, his daughter showed that what we understand was right. She said "is your blood cleaner now"! Or maybe we misunderstood that too?

Although I -like some other Turks- was offended with his words I am so very sorry that he killed. No one deserves to die.
But now there is a chance for some to say "hey look we told ya so, see this is genocide here it is infront of you"
if So why do other Armenians still living? If he killed for being an armenian in turkey, how come the others are still alive?
And if he was "clean" enough why was "ulusalci" looking for any reason to drag him through the mud? What was special about him? He is not the only armenian in Turkey?
You know what, other people get killed in Turkey too. But we were lucky huh? cause they werent armenians? It is ok when Turks or Circassians or Kurds get killed but it is genocide when someone armenian get killed?

In years armenians runs lobbies all over the world and still running, but you know what? we are still living with a lot of them in our country together. We are friends, we are brothers/sisters no matter what. And this will continue like this what ever other armenians (living outside of the turkey and those refuse brotherhood) do or say.

It is always so very easy to speak. Living it, is something else..

[hrad]

hi eveyone

[hrad]

Yes, I will come out and say it the way I think it is !

As a diasporan armenian I feel guilty about the killing of Hrant Dink. Why did we not listen to him? He was trying to build bridges between our two people.
Yes we owe it to our forebears to have the GENOCIDE recognised by Turkey, but not at the expense of the LIVING Armenians. In Turkey and in Armenia our brethren are paying the price of the DIASPORAN Armenians noisy demand for recognition of the GENOCIDE. Let us ALL carry on Hrant's work . Let us shelve the GENOCIDE 'pre-condition before any talks between the leaders of Armenia and Turkey.

For the sake of our OWN people living in Turkey and Armenia let us back Turkey's application to join the EU.HRANT DINK did.And so does the Armenian Patriarch in Istanbul. Are we discrediting both ? I am not !

[Helen]

OUR two people? NOISY demand ?
Are you sure you are Armenian?

[nkirimli]

Even I am not sure he/she is an Armenian lol

[Joseph]

Yes I am "another" Turk who understands something, as it seems.
What ever Hrant Dink wanted to say by those words, "what you say is what is understood". And after his death, his daughter showed that what we understand was right. She said "is your blood cleaner now"! Or maybe we misunderstood that too?

Although I -like some other Turks- was offended with his words I am so very sorry that he killed. No one deserves to die.
But now there is a chance for some to say "hey look we told ya so, see this is genocide here it is infront of you"
if So why do other Armenians still living? If he killed for being an armenian in turkey, how come the others are still alive?
And if he was "clean" enough why was "ulusalci" looking for any reason to drag him through the mud? What was special about him? He is not the only armenian in Turkey?
You know what, other people get killed in Turkey too. But we were lucky huh? cause they werent armenians? It is ok when Turks or Circassians or Kurds get killed but it is genocide when someone armenian get killed?

In years armenians runs lobbies all over the world and still running, but you know what? we are still living with a lot of them in our country together. We are friends, we are brothers/sisters no matter what. And this will continue like this what ever other armenians (living outside of the turkey and those refuse brotherhood) do or say.

It is always so very easy to speak. Living it, is something else..

Please enlighten us with Hrant Dink's daughters words. I have already seen what his wife has said as it's been widely reported.
-Why are there still Tutsi's in Rwanda, Bosnians in Serbia proper, Jews living in Germany, Poland and Austria, Aborigines in Austrailia, Chechens in Russia???
While all these others have been vicitms of genocide, some still exist, even amongst the people that have tried to destroy them. I guess in that regard, no genocide is completely successful.

Your last point was a very good one. Dink lived it. He was scorned, ridiculed, hated and eventually murdered. He certainly was brave.

What was special about Dink was that he spoke his mind despite the pressure face by the ulusalci, government, facsists, etc and was prosecuted for it; despite facing possible deportation, prison, if he continued. Now he's no longer here to offend you so I guess you won. Obviously, some in your country found him special as witnessed by the public outpouring amongst a segment of your population.

I'm glad you'll remain brothers with Armenians in Turkey as we continue to strive for justice.

[Joseph]

OUR two people? NOISY demand ?
Are you sure you are Armenian?

We get those from time to time. Turks signing up pretending to be Armenians. It usually only takes a few posts to make certain they are impostors.