Dink's assassination is the result of the "dangerous thinking" in Turkey
Though Hrant Dink was assassinated firstly because of his political views, namely regarding the Armenian Genocide, his ethnical belonging was of no less significance in his assassination.
It's already been a year since the day of the assassination of the editor-in-chief of "Agos", yet its details are still unclear. Dink was killed by Turkey, which is the successor of the Ottoman Empire with all its intolerance towards "the infidels". Taner Akçam, who left for the USA in 1971 for some political motives, puts the blame for Dink's murder on "the submerged state".
"The submerged state" is an underground organization and a part of the security services and officials, who are strictly against the democratization of Turkey. "Dink's assassination is the result of the "dangerous thinking" in Turkey," said Akçam.
Indeed, "dangerous thinking" is widely spread in Turkey, no matter how hard the Turks deny this fact in front of the whole world. This is also inherited from the Ottoman Empire, and is expressed not only through assassinations and persecutions of those having different way of thinking, but also in "made up" right of dictating its conditions to the entire world. And the most surprising and unpleasant thing is that the world sometimes gives up to it, and the case with blackmailing the US is a good example of the above mentioned. When in 2003 Turkey didn't allow the U.S. troops to Iraq through its territory, America didn't complain and didn't say a word about the "national interests and security of the soldiers." Four years have passed since then; Resolution 106 about the Armenian Genocide committed in the Ottoman Empire has been presented to the House of Representatives. And what happened, was that Turkey immediately started to threaten the security of the troops in Iraq, the very troops that were not allowed through its territory in 2003. The interesting thing is that the Resolution itself was proposed to the House of Representatives in two weeks after Hrant Dink's assassination.
Meanwhile the police department in Istanbul fighting against terrorism arrested 50 people, among which there is the member of the Parliament of Azerbaijan, the retired general Vali Kicik, "Aksam" contributor Guler Komurcu, lawyer Kemal Kerinciz and contributor of press-association of Turkish Orthodox Church Sevgi Erenerol. They were arrested for being involved in the assassination of the editor-in-chief of "Agos" Hrant Dink, in armed attack on the judges, and in attempt on the lives of the monks in Trabzon and Izmir.
At present the arrested are being interrogated by the police. It is not known yet whether or not accusations are brought against them. One of the leaders of the ruling parties the Justice and Development Dengir Mir Mehmed Firat announced that the police have held a significant operation.
Turkey demonstrates "commitment" to Dink's case to the world community and first of all to Europe. Parliamentary Commission has been established, lawyers speak out against the police; in other words everything is as it should be in democratic countries. However, Turkey is omitting one important circumstance: Istanbul is not the entire Turkey; moreover, it is not Turkey at all. "There are two Turkeys: European, situated on Taksim Square, which has about 50 thousand people, or may be a little more, and the other part of Turkey, consisting of 70 million people, who really practice Islam and consider themselves the followers of the Ottoman Empire. So one shouldn't speak seriously of European values in Turkey," thinks the political scientist Alexander Iskandaryan.
The trial proceeding on the assassin (assassins) of Hrant Dink will be followed by harsh verdict, after which in the eyes of Europe Turkey will look a "normal" country. But the trouble is that in Europe, unlike the USA, the value of the Turkish democracy is quite clear, and the article 301 of the Turkish Criminal Code assures this in the best way possible. Though Hrant Dink was assassinated firstly because of his political views, namely regarding the Armenian Genocide, his ethnical belonging was of no less significance in his assassination. Orhan Pamuk, Taner Akçam and many others proved to be luckier than Dink; they left the country. Hrant Dink in his last interview which was held two days before his assassination, said: "If I give up and leave the country, it will be a disgrace to everybody. My ancestry lived in this country, my roots are in this country and I have the right to die in the country I was born in."
In answer to the question whether it is bad being Armenian in Turkey, he answered: "If one holds his tongue, he is unlikely to have problems. But for me it was even difficult at school to sing in the school choir about how proud I am to be Turkish. Of course there are things to be proud of in our country, but still I am not Turkish. The representatives like to refer to the fact that there are many children's orphanages and Armenian schools in the country. However, they prefer to keep silent about the fact that many of the schoolchildren are fired for being involved in political life "
Indeed, "dangerous thinking" is widely spread in Turkey, no matter how hard the Turks deny this fact in front of the whole world. This is also inherited from the Ottoman Empire, and is expressed not only through assassinations and persecutions of those having different way of thinking, but also in "made up" right of dictating its conditions to the entire world. And the most surprising and unpleasant thing is that the world sometimes gives up to it, and the case with blackmailing the US is a good example of the above mentioned. When in 2003 Turkey didn't allow the U.S. troops to Iraq through its territory, America didn't complain and didn't say a word about the "national interests and security of the soldiers." Four years have passed since then; Resolution 106 about the Armenian Genocide committed in the Ottoman Empire has been presented to the House of Representatives. And what happened, was that Turkey immediately started to threaten the security of the troops in Iraq, the very troops that were not allowed through its territory in 2003. The interesting thing is that the Resolution itself was proposed to the House of Representatives in two weeks after Hrant Dink's assassination.
Meanwhile the police department in Istanbul fighting against terrorism arrested 50 people, among which there is the member of the Parliament of Azerbaijan, the retired general Vali Kicik, "Aksam" contributor Guler Komurcu, lawyer Kemal Kerinciz and contributor of press-association of Turkish Orthodox Church Sevgi Erenerol. They were arrested for being involved in the assassination of the editor-in-chief of "Agos" Hrant Dink, in armed attack on the judges, and in attempt on the lives of the monks in Trabzon and Izmir.
At present the arrested are being interrogated by the police. It is not known yet whether or not accusations are brought against them. One of the leaders of the ruling parties the Justice and Development Dengir Mir Mehmed Firat announced that the police have held a significant operation.
Turkey demonstrates "commitment" to Dink's case to the world community and first of all to Europe. Parliamentary Commission has been established, lawyers speak out against the police; in other words everything is as it should be in democratic countries. However, Turkey is omitting one important circumstance: Istanbul is not the entire Turkey; moreover, it is not Turkey at all. "There are two Turkeys: European, situated on Taksim Square, which has about 50 thousand people, or may be a little more, and the other part of Turkey, consisting of 70 million people, who really practice Islam and consider themselves the followers of the Ottoman Empire. So one shouldn't speak seriously of European values in Turkey," thinks the political scientist Alexander Iskandaryan.
The trial proceeding on the assassin (assassins) of Hrant Dink will be followed by harsh verdict, after which in the eyes of Europe Turkey will look a "normal" country. But the trouble is that in Europe, unlike the USA, the value of the Turkish democracy is quite clear, and the article 301 of the Turkish Criminal Code assures this in the best way possible. Though Hrant Dink was assassinated firstly because of his political views, namely regarding the Armenian Genocide, his ethnical belonging was of no less significance in his assassination. Orhan Pamuk, Taner Akçam and many others proved to be luckier than Dink; they left the country. Hrant Dink in his last interview which was held two days before his assassination, said: "If I give up and leave the country, it will be a disgrace to everybody. My ancestry lived in this country, my roots are in this country and I have the right to die in the country I was born in."
In answer to the question whether it is bad being Armenian in Turkey, he answered: "If one holds his tongue, he is unlikely to have problems. But for me it was even difficult at school to sing in the school choir about how proud I am to be Turkish. Of course there are things to be proud of in our country, but still I am not Turkish. The representatives like to refer to the fact that there are many children's orphanages and Armenian schools in the country. However, they prefer to keep silent about the fact that many of the schoolchildren are fired for being involved in political life "
