ALMA Posted March 6, 2008 Report Share Posted March 6, 2008 , No, No. It is neither "hidden" nor "destroyed". It is in the same trashcan where the so called "Ottoman Archives" are. They claim to have opened their so called archives and dare Yerevan to open theirs'. What is in the Yerevan archives that we don't already know, except the truth about the disappearances of Abovian, Bakunts, Sevak and others? Hayastani arxivov hetaqrqrvats chen, amerikayum, yete chem sxalvum New Yorkum ka haykakan arxiv? kam mi urish nahangum? uzum en et arxive batsvi, H1 ov mi hay patmaban nshets verjeres. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MosJan Posted March 6, 2008 Report Share Posted March 6, 2008 Hayastani arxivov hetaqrqrvats chen, amerikayum, yete chem sxalvum New Yorkum ka haykakan arxiv? kam mi urish nahangum? uzum en et arxive batsvi, H1 ov mi hay patmaban nshets verjeres. \ Xosq@ verabervum e Bostonum g@tnvogh Dashnaktsutyan Arxivin turqer@ da yerkar jamanak e uzuzm en tesnel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ashot Posted March 23, 2008 Report Share Posted March 23, 2008 Defendants admit they knew of plot to kill Hrant Dink 22.03.2008 14:46 Two Turkish soldiers admitted in court Thursday they knew of a plot to kill Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink months before the murder happened, the Turkish Daily News reports. The two are the first members of the security forces to stand trial in the Black Sea city of Trabzon, where the murder was planned, amid widespread allegations that some officials condoned the killing. One of the defendants told the judge Thursday he had been informed of the plot in August 2006 by a relative of its alleged mastermind Yasin Hayal. He passed the tip-off to his superiors at the local gendarmerie force policing rural areas, but no action was taken, he said. "We did not do anything afterwards because we were given no instructions or orders," said the defendant, identified only as O.S. His superiors fabricated documents after the murder to create the impression they had no prior knowledge of the plot, he alleged. He had come under "psychological" pressure to collude and lie to government inspectors who probed the conduct of the security forces, he added. The other defendant, identified as V.S., agreed with the statement of his colleague. The two soldiers risk between six months and two years in jail for "abuse of power." The judge decided to ask prosecutors to launch an investigation into the officials the defendants had implicated at Thursday's hearing. Lawyers for Dink's family say the police also withheld and destroyed evidence to cover up the murder, including footage from a bank security camera near where Dink was killed. Public Radio of Armenia Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MosJan Posted April 9, 2008 Report Share Posted April 9, 2008 HRANT DINK'S BIOGRAPHY TO BE PUBLISHED * A book is going to be published in that will include the names of the country's journalists killed since 1909 until now. As Turkish press informs the initiator of the book is the Union of Investigator Journalists. The book will also embrace the autobiography of "Akos" weekly editor-in-chief Hrant Dink, "Noyan Tapan" agency reported. * Translated by L.H. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ashot Posted April 16, 2008 Report Share Posted April 16, 2008 Hrant Dink Resolution gains strength as lawmakers offer support 15.04.2008 10:46 A congressional resolution condemning the assassination of Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink, gained additional support as Representatives Michelle Bachmann (R-MN), Charles Gonzales (D-TX), Zack Space (D-OH) and Tim Walberg (R-MI) signed on as the bill’s latest cosponsors. The lawmakers added their support following meetings with the Armenian Assembly in Washington, bringing the current number of cosponsor to 59. They join Representatives Jerry F. Costello (D-IL), Anna Eshoo (D-CA), Stephen Lynch (D-MA), Edward Markey (D-MA), Collin C. Peterson (D-MN), Ed Royce (R-CA), Paul Ryan (R-WI), John Sarbanes (D-MD), Loretta Sanchez (D-CA), and Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) who have added their names to the list of supporters in recent months, calling on Congress to adopt H. Res. 102. The Assembly-backed bill, introduced last January by Congressman Joseph Crowley (D-NY), condemns Dink’s murder, honors his legacy and calls on Turkey to take appropriate action to protect freedom of speech by repealing Article 301 of the Turkish penal code. “I am proud to cosponsor this resolution and help to ensure that the life and legacy of Hrant Dink are not forgotten,” Bachmann said. “I applaud the Assembly in their efforts to support America’s Armenian community.” “The Assembly appreciates the growing bipartisan support for this important human rights legislation,” said Bryan Ardouny, Executive Director of the Armenian Assembly. “Hrant Dink was a law-abiding citizen who believed in democratic ideals and peaceful change. It is only fitting that in his memory, Congress take a strong stand against Turkey’s inexplicable use of Article 301 to indict citizens for openly discussing the Armenian Genocide.” Dink’s life was violently taken in broad daylight, in front of his office at Agos, the newspaper he founded and directed since 1996. An outspoken advocate for democratic reform, he stood trial several times for his public comments on the genocide and was convicted in October 2005 for “insulting Turkishness” under Article 301. H. Res. 102 is currently pending before the House Foreign Affairs Committee. Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Joseph R. Biden, Jr. (D-DE) introduced a similar measure in the Senate last February, which passed on March 29, 2007. The Biden resolution condemns Dink’s assassination and urges Turkey to take appropriate action to protect freedom of speech by repealing Article 301. Public Radio of Armenia Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aratta-Kingdom Posted April 20, 2008 Report Share Posted April 20, 2008 Istanbul 19.01.2008 Armenian demonstration- Clashes With the Police Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Armine Posted April 21, 2008 Report Share Posted April 21, 2008 (edited) In the summer of 05 I was in Istanbul.... learning Turkish and getting to know the Armenian community who lives there. there are numerous stories I can tell about my experiences there, the following story is one that I can never forget and that i remember everyday.... I have yet to report it to a media source, even though there have been many requests to print it, but it is personal and it evokes great emotion in me, but today I want to share this story with our forum members. living in Istanbul, was difficult, being a 21 year old Armenian lady.... with all the history... which became a very difficult reality to live with everyday.. .this was something I chose to do and wanted to do...I had many questions...my existence there serves a great purpose, which I will one day share. So here it goes.. I had decided that I wanted to meet Hrant Dink, way before I got there... so about 2 weeks into my "trip" I randomly showed up in front of the Agos building in the afternoon after my language class... All of the sudden I see him stepping out of this huge beautiful door, with one of his associates. So I introduce myself and say I really need to talk to you.... keep in mind he had no clue who I was, besides the fact that i wrote to him a few years back, yet i do not believe he made the connection, or at least he did not show it.... He asked the person he was with to go on his way and told him that he would meet him a little later and he invited us up. When i think about it now I keep telling myself how incredible he was that he just changed his plans, for this girl who was asking way too many questions that he did not even know.... so he welcomed me to the office, showed me around, introduced me to everyone, then he sat down in his office, which i found to be beautiful because of what was on the walls (picture of komitas, nurs, duduk, an old image of all our Armenian intellectuals together in one room which is almost impossible to find now, it was all Armenian). In any other circumstance i would not be as surprised or amazed, actually it was very typical for an Armenian, all our homes are like that, well not all but majority, but after living in Istanbul where the Armenian Diaspora is facing a very harsh reality ( and not just Armenians, many other minorities as well) that newspaper office represented hope for me. So he asked me to sit and said "what is it you want to know," and I asked away... for over an hour... he was so patient and took great effort to make sure i got every question answered. I was so astonished, one day i will write about our conversation, but what i want to share today is not that conversation, it is about what type of person he was. He canceled all his plans to share that moment with a complete stranger, and keep in mind he was an extremely busy man. Also, this was the exact time that he had the court cases against him, which he explained to me in full detail... And for anyone who has read the last piece he wrote, which bbc and AGOS published later...he wrote, "I may see myself as frightened as a pigeon, but I know that in this country people do not touch pigeons. Pigeons can live in cities, even in crowds. A little scared perhaps, but free." he really believed that! this small story is just a part of my experience, yet i believe it fully entails who he was and the memory he instills in our hearts. For me, he will always be, he continues to live on. ~ armo Edited April 21, 2008 by Armo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AVO Posted April 21, 2008 Report Share Posted April 21, 2008 Thanks for sharing your story. Let us know if you need help publishing the rest of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ashot Posted April 21, 2008 Report Share Posted April 21, 2008 Armo jan, thank you for sharing this with us!!! It is trully amazing to know someone that has met Dink in person!!! Apres im quyr!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aratta-Kingdom Posted April 29, 2008 Report Share Posted April 29, 2008 LAWYERS: DINK MURDER WAS COMMITTED WITH SUPPORT OF SECURITY UNITS PanARMENIAN.Net 28.04.2008 16:01 GMT+04:00 /PanARMENIAN.Net/ The accused murderers of Hrant Dink, the editor of Agos Turkish-Armenian newspaper, will appear before the court for the fifth time 15 months after the murder. On 28 April hearing (Monday), the remaining questionings are expected to be completed. The Istanbul 14th Criminal Court, which tries the 19 defendants, eight of whom are arrested, had demanded at the previous hearing that the physical surveillance reports and telephone records concerning the arrested defendants Yasin Hayal and Mustafa Ozturk. It is established now that Yasin Hayal was under the surveillance of the Trabzon Police Department, a major province in the eastern Black Sea region of Turkey, BIA NEWS SERVICE reports. Dink family lawyers say that the killing of the journalist on January 19, 2007 is not "a murder planned together by a few young men and executed in spite of the authorities; they claim that the local security units supported this group." Hrant Dink was gunned down at his newspaper premises in Istanbul by nationalist Ogun Samast on January 19, 2007. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aratta-Kingdom Posted April 29, 2008 Report Share Posted April 29, 2008 I was so astonished, one day i will write about our conversation, ~ armo please do- i look forward to read about your conversation with him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aratta-Kingdom Posted May 15, 2008 Report Share Posted May 15, 2008 CONGRESSMAN SHERMAN CO-SPONSORS HRANT DINK BILL armradio.am 14.05.2008 10:41 Congressman Brad Sherman (D-CA) is now a sponsor of House Resolution 102 (H.Res.102), which honors the life and legacy of Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink. The Assembly-backed bill, introduced in January 2007 by Congressman Joseph Crowley (D-NY), condemns Dink's murder, honors his legacy and calls on Turkey to take appropriate action to protect freedom of speech by repealing Article 301 of the Turkish Penal Code, the Armenian Assembly of America informs. Hrant Dink, a citizen of Turkey and outspoken defender of free speech and democratic reform, was brutally murdered in broad daylight, in front of his newspaper office in Istanbul, Turkey. Agos, a paper he founded in 1996, is the only bilingual circulation in Turkey today, published in both Armenian and Turkish. In discussions with the Assembly, Sherman immediately recognized the importance of H.Res.102 and quickly responded that he would join his colleagues to support this important measure. "I am proud to cosponsor this important Human Rights legislation," Sherman told the Assembly. "It is important that the individuals behind Hrant Dink's brutal murder are brought to justice. We must show the world that Hrant Dink did not die in vain." Sherman's addition brings the total co-sponsorship to 61. "The Assembly welcomes Congressman Sherman's strong support of the Hrant Dink bill and his unwavering commitment of issues important to Armenia and Armenian-Americans alike," said Peter Kezirian, Assembly Board Member. "Turkey cannot have it both ways," added Kezirian. "On the one hand, the Government of Turkey calls for dialogue, while at the same time, they prosecute the very people that are willing to advocate and engage in these discussions, thus creating and fostering an atmosphere of intolerance. "Sherman also supports U.S. reaffirmation of the Armenian Genocide and is a cosponsor of House Resolution 106. He is an active member of the Armenian Caucus and serves on the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, Committee on Financial Services and Judiciary Committee. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MosJan Posted July 7, 2008 Report Share Posted July 7, 2008 REGULAR TRIAL SESSION IN DINK MURDER CASE STARTS IN ISTANBUL On Monday, July 7, the sixth trial session in the Hrant Dink murder case will be held in Istanbul. The murder suspect in the Dink case, Ogun Samast, will be legally 18 years old on that day, so the trial will be open to the public and press. In this trial, several witnesses who were around the Agos weekly’s building on the day of murder may possibly be called to testify, the TDN reports. 24 people, including top retired generals and high-ranking officials were arrested in Turkey last week over suspicion in links with Ergenekon network supposed to have organized the murder of Hrank Dink. Ergenekon is also suspected in plotting assassination of Orhan Pamuk and a number of other Turkish authors and journalists. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MosJan Posted July 10, 2008 Report Share Posted July 10, 2008 HRANT DINK TRIAL TURNED INTO BUFFOONERY * On July 7 the sixth court trial session on Hrant Dink's murder was started in Istanbul. As Ogun Samast had reached the age of 18 by the date, the trial was open and press was admitted. Samast, organizers of the assassination Yasin Hayal, Erhan Tuncel and all the other suspects were present. Almost all the Turkish newspapers referred to the process in their yesterday releases. They all state that the trial was turned into a buffoonery because of the dissoluteness of the suspects. "Hurriyet" newspaper, whether it was a TV show or a court trial, represents some episodes. Thus, when Fuad Turgut, lawyer of Yasin Hayal, tried to ask a question Ogun Samast, the latter exclaimed, "I have nothing to do with that madman". Then the lawyer asked Samast whether he had a meeting with Etienne Mahjoupian or someone else in front of the "Agos" office, the suspect impudently replied that he was having a rendezvous with Jennifer Lopez there. After that the lawyer, hinting at the foreign origin of Tuncel's girlfriend said him, "She is from Israel. Have you ever thought that your girlfriend might be an Israeli spy?". Tuncel answered that the female came from Lebanon, not Israel, then ironically added, "Maybe she's the daughter of the President of Israel. I never cared about that, sorry man". Later the argument between Hayal and Samast turned to an open quarrel. After the passions calmed down, law defender Turgut asked Tuncel how much he was being paid as an informer. The latter considered this question as slander and personal insult and said that he had been trying to cease the contacts with the intelligence department for a long time, but they insisted on proceeding with the work until Tuncel graduated from the university. The Court chairman asked Tuncel if he had known professor Ovali, detained by accusation on "Ergenekon" case. Tuncel gave negative answer, and added that he had prevented Yasin Hayal from murdering Hrant Dink for at least 5 or 6 times. The court trial has again been postponed. Until October 13, this time. * By Hakob Chakrian, translated by A.M. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aratta-Kingdom Posted July 17, 2008 Report Share Posted July 17, 2008 Turkish school teacher dismissed for condemning Dink murder 16.07.2008 /PanARMENIAN.Net/ When referring to the Hrant Dink murder, Turkish high school teacher Aysel Kilic said in class that no one should be killed for their thoughts and was exiled to Trabzon for that remark, Sabah daily reports. When one of the students said in class that he is happy that Hrant Dink died, Kilic replied, “Killing someone for his or her thoughts is not right.” The students related this to their parents and one of them applied to the Selcuk District Administration, Education Ministry, and Izmir Governor’s Office with the claim that Kilic said Turks have committed crimes against Armenians, that she humiliated Turks because of the Dink murder, that she said the living conditions of Abdullah Ocalan were bad, that she claimed Fehriye Erdal, who killed businessman Ozdemir Sabanci, was not a murderer, and that she gave low grades to students that opposed her views. Two inspectors commissioned by the ministry found the teacher guilty and a criminal case was filed against her. Meanwhile Kilic was appointed to a high school in Trabzon. Kilic has applied for a stay in proceedings and approached the Selcuk Public Prosecutor’s Office with a brief saying that the accusations are false. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aratta-Kingdom Posted July 22, 2008 Report Share Posted July 22, 2008 Reuters, UK July 20 2008 Turkish security officials face Dink murder inquiry Sun Jul 20, 2008 ISTANBUL, July 20 (Reuters) - Two Turkish security officials are facing investigation over last year's murder of Turkish Armenian journalist Hrant Dink, state-run news agency Anatolian said on Sunday. The pair, named only as Colonel A.O. and Captain M.Y., are suspected of "hiding information and failing to act" on reports Dink was in danger, Anatolian quoted Trabzon governor Nuri Okutan as saying. The probe is one of the first into allegations that police failed to act on a tip off about the threat to Dink, who was shot dead outside his Istanbul office in January 2007. According to the court indictment, one of the defendants in the Dink case acted as a police informer and told police of plans to assassinate the editor in the months before the murder. Dink received numerous death threats due to articles urging Turkey to accept responsibility for its part in the mass killings of Armenians by Ottoman Turks and Kurds in 1915. The investigation comes as the military is under increasing scrutiny following a wave of detentions and arrests that have targeted several serving and retired army officers for allegedly planning a coup to topple to ruling AK Party. (Editing by Jon Boyle) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MosJan Posted July 31, 2008 Report Share Posted July 31, 2008 HRANT DINK MURDER ORGANIZED BY "ERGENEKON" * Recently became known about the murder attempt plotted by the Turkish "Ergenekon" extremist terror group against Archbishop Mesrop II Moutafian, Armenian Patriarch of Constantinople. On July 28 "Sabah" newspaper declared that the scandalous murder of Hrant Dink was organized by the same "Ergenekon" organization. "Sabah" assures that the terror organization stands behind the murder of catholic priest Santoro in Trabzon, of four members of the "Zirve" publishing house in Malatia and, as it was mentioned, of Hrant Dink. Due to the extreme secrecy applied by "Ergenekon" and the cellular type of administrative organization, those facts were not proved and the investigations did not go beyond capturing the murderers and people immediately involved. The Turkish newspaper also points out that most of the murderers were unaware whose interests they serve to and who ordered their actions. "Nevertheless the aims and the results of the realized murders clearly display that they were organized from the same center in order to spread anarchy, chaos and terror in the country as well as to harm the international reputation of Turkey" * By H. Chaqrian, translated by A.M. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MosJan Posted October 23, 2008 Report Share Posted October 23, 2008 Two Turkish policemen were Wednesday acquitted over a scandal in which security forces posed for pictures with the suspected killer of Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink, the Anatolia news agency said. The court verdict will be a disappointment for Dink's family who say police protected the self-confessed killer, Ogun Samast, when he was seized in the northern city of Samsun a day after Dink was shot dead in Istanbul last year. Footage and photos leaked to the media at the time showed officers, some in uniform, posing with Samast, aged 17 at the time, as he held a Turkish flag, triggering accusations that some officials secretly approved of the murder. Eight police officiers were given disciplinary sanctions at the time, but only Metin Balta, the deputy head of the terrorism department, and Ibrahim Firat, a police chief in the same office, were brought to court. At the end of a trial which lasted a little over a year, the court in Samsun ruled that Balta was not guilty of "abusing his office by allowing acts unbefitting state officials and leading to the impression that there was sympathy" for Samast's action, the report said. The court also acquitted Firat on the ground that there was no "solid and convincing" evidence to convict him of "violating the secrecy of the investigation" by leaking the images to the media, it added. Dink, 52, hated by Turkish nationalists for calling the World War I massacres of Armenians a genocide, was gunned down on January 19, 2007, outside the offices of his Agos newspaper in central Istanbul. Samast and 18 accomplices went on trial in Istanbul last year. The charge-sheet says police received intelligence as early as 2006 of a plot organised in the northern city of Trabzon, Samast's hometown, to kill Dink. Two soldiers -- members of the Trabzon gendarmerie intelligence department -- were put on trial in January on charges of covering up intelligence about the murder plot. They testified in court in March that they had passed on to their superiors information of a plot to kill Dink, but said no action was taken. They also accused their superiors of fabricating documents after the murder to create the impression they had no prior knowledge of the plot. The trial is seen as a test of Ankara's resolve to eliminate the "deep state" -- a term used to describe security forces acting outside the law to preserve what they consider Turkey's best interests. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yervant1 Posted October 26, 2008 Report Share Posted October 26, 2008 Agence France Presse Oct 24 2008 New charge reported in Turkish-Armenian journalist's murder ISTANBUL, Oct 24 2008 A 20th suspect has been charged with involvement in the murder of Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink in 2007, the Anatolia news agency reported Friday. He is Osman Hayal, the elder brother of the alleged mastermind of the murder, who is among 19 defendants who went on trial last year. He is accused of helping and accompanying the self-confessed teenage gunman, Ogun Samast, when he shot Dink in downtown Istanbul on January 19, 2007. The prosecution is seeking between 22 and a half and 35 years in jail for Hayal on charges of "taking part in a murder" and "membership of an illegal organisation," Anatolia reported. The 52-year-old Dink, a prominent member of Turkey's tiny Armenian community, campaigned for reconciliation but was hated by Turkish nationalists for calling the World War I massacres of Armenians a genocide. The Dink family lawyers say some members of the Turkish security forces approved of the murder and accuse the police of withholding and destroying evidence to cover up the killing. Prosecutors say the security forces received intelligence as early as 2006 of a plot to kill Dink being organised in the northern city of Trabzon, home of Samast, aged 17 at the time of the murder, and most of his alleged accomplices. Two soldiers from the Trabzon gendarmerie intelligence department were put on trial in January on charges of covering up intelligence. They testified in court in March they had passed on to their superiors information of a plot to kill Dink, but said no action was taken. The case is seen as a test of Ankara's resolve to eliminate the "deep state" -- a term used to describe security forces acting outside the law to preserve what they consider Turkey's best interests. Dink's murder sent the country into prolonged shock, and more than 100,000 people took to the streets on the day of his funeral, chanting "We are all Hrant Dink" and "We are all Armenians." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arpa Posted October 26, 2008 Report Share Posted October 26, 2008 (edited) Of course, many of these so called news would better fit in the topic Comedistan. These so called trials can take as long as the AG resolution. Please search and see what “kangaroo court” is. Here is one definition; 1. A mock court set up in violation of established legal procedure. 2. A court characterized by dishonesty or incompetence. Also look up the Malta Tribunals where only the ghosts of the dead and those absent were found guilty. Edited October 27, 2008 by Arpa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MosJan Posted November 4, 2008 Report Share Posted November 4, 2008 "HRANT DINK" INTERNATIONAL FOUNDATION BRANCH IN ARMENIA * After the assassination of the Editor-in-chief of "Agos" weekly Hrant Dink, on the initiative of the latter's family was set up "Hrant Dink" international foundation. Hrant Dink's brother Ervand Dink told "Armenpress" that they are going to open a branch of the international foundation in Armenia in the nearest future. Branches of the foundation will be opened also in Los Angeles and Sidney. Only organizations can make donations to the foundation. The latter has its first donations. The money will be spent only for charitable purposes; it will also be directed to establishment of peace and mutual understanding between nations. Rachel, Zabel, Haykanush, Khosrov, Ervand. Arat and Delal Dinks are members of the foundation board. The central office of the foundation is in Istanbul. * Translated by L.H. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MosJan Posted November 4, 2008 Report Share Posted November 4, 2008 ba vonts hima ardne kareli e faundation dnel, xosel h@ranti anunits nuynisk $$$ havaqel Mardu yeresin cheyin nayum nuynisk shater@ Hye cheyin uzzum anvanel, isk esor inch dajan bana kyanq@ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yervant1 Posted November 16, 2008 Report Share Posted November 16, 2008 Hürriyet, Turkey Nov 15 2008 Murdered journalist's son condemns minister ISTANBUL - Arat Dink and the defense minister both agree that the population exchanges involving thousands of Turks, Greeks and Armenians are what made the country what it is today. The disagreement is on the nature of the consequences. If the Greeks and Armenians had stayed in Turkey after World War I, the country would not have been the same; it would have been much better, said the son of murdered Armenian Turkish journalist Hrant Dink in a column in daily Taraf on Friday. Arat Dink, the executive editor of Armenian weekly Agos, the newspaper was founded and headed by his father, Hrant, until Hrant was shot dead by a teenage nationalist in January last year. A Prime Ministry report last week said the murder could have been avoided if authorities had taken certain measures. Arat Dink's remarks came only days after Defense Minister Vecdi Gönül, while at a NATO meeting in Brussels, asked, "If Greeks had stayed on in the Aegean region or Armenians all over the country, would we have been the same nation-state?" Support or not? The comments, interpreted as tacit support for the population exchange between Greece and Turkey in 1922 after the Independence War, resulted in swift condemnation from civil groups and the more liberal media in Turkey. Greek media headlined the story, "Admission of ethnic cleansing." In his article, Arat Dink said Gönül had merely voiced a fact, however, the way he expressed this fact showed he interpreted the lack of Armenians and Greeks in Turkey as a positive part of the nation-building process. In his answer to Gönül's question, Arat said, "No, the country would not have been the same. It would have been super. Even if nothing changed at least you would not be defense minister. If you were, you would not even have thought what you said. If you had thought it, you would not dare say it. If you did, you would not stay defense minister for long." Dink said Gönül was describing the lack of Greeks and Armenians as positive. He added, "There is also an interesting often forgotten fact. We are still here. We are few, but we are here. Is the minister implying we should go too?" The fact that Greeks and Armenians who lived in Anatolia before World War I owned most of the good land in the country cannot be used as an excuse, said Arat Dink, adding, "This theory confuses me even more. Were they moved out because they owned good land or was their removal a security matter?" He said the oath recited by primary school students every week, dedicating their existence to the country, should be altered for children going to schools for minorities. Dink said those children should shout, "I dedicate my disappearance to the country." PM faces tough choice on Dink murder The prime minister has received a report stating the murder of Turkish Armenian journalist Hrant Dink could have been prevented, reported the daily Milliyet on Friday. The Prime Ministry inspector board's report to Prime Minister Recep Tayyip ErdoÄ?an said Dink's murder in January last year could have been avoided had senior security officials responded to the intelligence gathered on the plans for the murder. If ErdoÄ?an agrees, investigations may start against Istanbul Police Chief Celalettin Cerrah, Trabzon gendarmerie commander at the time of the murder, Col. Ali Ã-z, and then Trabzon Police chief Ramazan Akyürek, whose failure to act upon the intelligence was deemed crucial in the failure to prevent the murder. The PM office's inspector board took action upon the letter of Dink's wife, Rakel Dink, who demanded ErdoÄ?an not let the case be covered up. The report noted the inciter of the Dink murder, Yasin Hayal, who bombed a McDonalds in Trabzon in October 2004, communicated over a different phone line that was electronically tapped at the time of bombing. An informer working for the Police, Erhan Tuncel was influential in the McDonalds bombing, the report concluded. "If Tuncel's role in the McDonald's bombing could have been solved, the Dink murder might have been prevented," it said. The report identified several acts of negligence by security officials, who failed to act in time to prevent the murder. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arpa Posted November 16, 2008 Report Share Posted November 16, 2008 (edited) With all due respects to the sacred memory AHL/Աստուած Հոգին Լուսավորէ,RIP, of Hrant, a fearless warrior. He should be interred at the Pantheon along all of our heroes. And equally fearless his son Arad. This is nothing more than gobble gobble furkey talk. They may have forgotten that all inhabitants of furkey are furks. "blessed are those who profess to be furks” They forget that according to the official definition, the Kurds are “mountain furks” and the Armrnians are “Christian furks”. Besides, whoever, when and where it was said that Istanbul was an “Armenian town“? Not during the Greek times, not during the Byzantine times, nor during ottoman times. If Hrant and his progeny ever dream to re convert stambul, with over ten million furkish inhabitants, to an Armenian town? Lots o’ luck to them! They may have better luck in Yerevan with less than a million. Why don’t we get out of those hellholes and move our assets and heritage to the REAL ARMENIA, aka YEREVAN? And that goes to Antelias and Jewrusalem as well. Imagine how much more we could accomplish if all these forces were to work together, rather than against each other!!! Edited November 17, 2008 by Arpa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MosJan Posted December 10, 2008 Report Share Posted December 10, 2008 DINK MURDER CASE DELIBERATELY PROTRACTEDhttp://www.armtown.com/img/photo/pan_en_27979.jpgThe legal procedure on Hrant Dink’s assassination is being constantly protracted, said the editor of the Armenian sector of Agos newspaper. “All we have now is the accused and his several accomplices,” Bagrat Estukyan told a news conference in Yerevan today. “Every time the judge postpones the hearings for a long period, obviously to leave the things as they are,” he said. “Dink’s murder shocked Turkey. People understood that Dink was assassinated for being an Armenian. Dink was the first who was prosecuted under the article 301.” Mr. Estukyan informed that Agos editorial staff still receives offences and threats. “A group of lawyers work in the office to deal with these threatening messages,” he said. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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