Armenian Assembly of America welcomed ECHR ruling against Turkey

September 16, 2010 - 16:57 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net - The Armenian Assembly of America (Assembly) welcomed the unanimous decision handed down by the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) in the case filed by the late Hrant Dink and his family against the Republic of Turkey.

The European Court found that Turkish "authorities failed in their duty to protect the life and freedom of expression of the journalist Hrant Dink."

"The Assembly congratulates the Dink family for so bravely sustaining Hrant Dink's legacy and for following in his footsteps to uphold the law and defend human rights," stated Chairman of the Assembly Board Hirair Hovnanian. He continued: "The Court's decision must be followed by the repeal of Article 301 from Turkey's Penal Code, and a good faith effort by the Turkish state toward full compliance with its obligations under the EU negotiating framework regarding human rights, civil liberties, respect for minorities, and ethnic and religious tolerance. For Turkey's Armenian minority, the neighboring Republic of Armenia, and Armenians worldwide, this also entails Turkey's acknowledgment of the Armenian Genocide and redress of its consequences. Extending full diplomatic relations and lifting its blockade against Armenia would be two concrete steps in the right direction."

The Armenian Assembly's Distinguished Humanitarian Award was given to Rakel Dink in November 2007 in honor of her husband for championing the cause of democracy and freedom and for building bridges between the two neighboring countries of Armenia and Turkey through tolerance, goodwill, and dialogue.

The 2007 assassination of Hrant Dink sent shock waves throughout Turkey - and internationally among those concerned with genocide, free speech, and violence against journalists - and exposed the dangers of the extremism fostered by Turkish denial of the Armenian Genocide. He was among a handful of persons prosecuted, and the only individual assassinated, for publicly referring to the Armenian Genocide in Turkey. His public and private efforts to promote dialogue within Turkey in order to enlighten Turkish citizens as to the true history of their country, done in a spirit of brotherhood and without hostility, enraged Turkish ultranationalists.

Reacting swiftly to news of Dink's murder, then Senator, now Vice President, Joseph Biden introduced a resolution condemning the attack "as a shameful act of cowardice perpetrated with contempt of law, justice, and decency."

ECHR, also, harshly criticized Turkey for its dereliction of duty to protect Hrant Dink, whose life had been threatened as a direct result of the legal proceedings initiated by Turkish prosecutors who wanted to try him under Article 301 of the Turkish Penal Code. The article made insulting Turkishness a criminal offense, and prosecutors sought to make open discussion of the Armenian Genocide punishable under its terms.

The Court took the view that the Turkish security forces could reasonably be considered to have been aware of the intense hostility towards Firat Dink in nationalist circles. The investigations carried out by the Istanbul public prosecutor's office and the Interior Ministry investigators had highlighted the fact that the police in both Trabzon and Istanbul, and the Trabzon gendarmerie, had been informed of the likelihood of an assassination attempt and even of the identity of the suspected instigators. In view of the circumstances, the threat of an assassination could be said to have been real and imminent.