U.S. Senate committee adopted resolution condemning Hrant Dink's murder

PanARMENIAN.Net - The Senate Foreign Relations Committee adopted human rights legislation, authored by the panel's chairman and presidential candidate, Senator Joe Biden, condemning the murder of journalist and human rights activist Hrant Dink and calling on the Turkish government to repeal the law, Article 301, under which he was prosecuted. The Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) reports that this measure was adopted unanimously by voice vote March 28. At the last meeting, on March 6th, the panel, at the request of its Ranking Member Richard Lugar, had deferred consideration of the legislation for three weeks. Despite the efforts to cut any reference to the Armenian Genocide, the resolution noted Dink's persecution because of his speech on the Genocide. The legislation condemns Hrant Dink's murder as "a shameful act of "democratic values, non-violence, and media freedom." It specifically notes that he was "subjected to legal action under Article 301 of the Turkish Penal Code for referring to the 1915 massacre of Armenians as genocide." It also calls on the Turkish government to repeal this anti-free speech law and "work diligently to foster a more open intellectual environment." "We want to thank Chairman Biden for his leadership in honoring Hrant Dink's memory by urging the Turkish government to repeal Article 301 - the law under which he was prosecuted," ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian said.



The version of the resolution adopted on March 28 is an amended version of the text initially introduced by Senator Biden. The original version included a more direct reference to the Armenian Genocide and a more pointed mention of Turkey's responsibility for its blockade and refusal to normalize relations with Armenia. The State Department and Turkish government, despite their aggressive lobbying, were unsuccessful in removing reference to the Armenian Genocide from the resolution.



Earlier ANCA Press Secretary Elizabeth Chouldjian said removing the term "genocide" from the text of resolution is unacceptable and makes the document senseless.