Turkish journalists continue expressing their dissatisfaction with the recent verdict against suspects in the assassination of Armenian-Turkish Agos weekly editor-in-chief Hrant Dink.

“You can be sure I am not exaggerating. Also, if I will be sued for what I am going to write here, I will be far from resentful. Because I believe I will be echoing the general impression of the public,” Mehmet Ali Birand voices his opinion in Hurriyet Daily News.

”If the chief justice of the Hrant Dink case Rüstem Eryılmaz had not spoken at all, and if he had not said what he said, I would not have been able to write this so precisely and so sharply. You must have watched and read what the judge said, from watching TV and reading the papers. Oh my God, what is this? What kind of a judging mentality is this? What kind of reasoning is this? In short, the judge said even his conscience did not accept this result but in order to finalize the case as soon as possible, they had to act fast. I could not believe it,” he says.

“I am guessing the Supreme Board of Judges and Prosecutors (HSYK) will not leave the matter as it is. This board must interview this judge of ours and ask him some questions. And then, they should ask themselves these questions: “How did this case reach such a point? Do we, as the board, have a responsibility in this?” After all that has been experienced, the Supreme Court of Appeals has no option left but to appeal the verdict.”

“There was a day of pride in Istanbul on Thursday [Jan 19]. Tens of thousands of people filled the streets and demanded justice for its citizen of Armenian descent. It provided a lesson to those who regard minorities negatively. These were scenes that made us swell with pride. Meanwhile, there were also those who reacted against all of this, but they remained in the minority. I was surprised. Frankly, I was not expecting it. And I was extremely happy,” he concludes.

Sedat Ergin writes: “The verdict of Istanbul’s Specially Authorized 14th Criminal Court the other day on the Hrant Dink case has created pains in the conscience of Turkish society. The extensity of the reaction from very diverse segments of society as soon as the verdict was announced demonstrates an unprecedented consensus has been reached in public opinion.

“It can also be said this verdict, as it is, has seriously damaged the perception of justice in society. One of the reasons for the strength of the impact is the court was convinced there was no organizational factor in the murder. In a period when it has become routine practice for defendants at specially authorized courts to be charged with being members of [illegal] organizations, the fact there were no organizational ties found in the Dink murder has been reflected upon as a strange matter. From a comparative view, it can be concluded the scale of justice in Turkey falls short of complying with minimum standards of fairness and objectivity.”