Family members of political murders’ victims sign statement in support of Dink family

PanARMENIAN.Net -
The “deep family” of Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink, who was fatally shot by an ultranationalist teenager outside the Agos weekly in 2007, was present yesterday during the 12th hearing of the Dink trial.



“We are the ‘deep' family of Hrant Dink,” said Filiz Ali, daughter of the great Turkish poet Sebahattin Ali, who was murdered in 1948 while trying to flee the country after serving time in prison for insulting Atatürk. “Hrant's friends gave us permission today. We will speak instead of them,” she continued.



Family members of other victims of political murders have signed a statement in support of the Dink family, including relatives of journalists Uğur Mumcu, Çetin Emeç, Metin Göktepe and Abdi İpekçi; prosecutor Doğan Öz; Kurdish writers Ümit Kaftancıoğlu, Turan Dursun, Onat Kutlar and Musa Anter; Confederation of Revolutionary Workers' Unions (DİSK) President Kemal Türkler; folk singer Hasret Gültekin; poets Behçet Aysan, Nesimi Çimen and Metin Altıok; terror victims Yasemin Cebenoyan and Sevinç Özgüner; publisher İlhan Erdost; academic Cavit Orhan Tütengil; and Adana Police Chief Cevat Yurdakul.



“We came to share and bear witness to the injustice we have been enduring for many years. We came to remind people how organized political murders are covered up, which we have held in our memory since the murder of Sabahattin Ali,” Filiz Ali said. By calling themselves the "deep family," the Dink family's supporters are referencing the "deep state," which is believed to have played a role in Dink's murder.



The relatives of the victims demanded that no secrets should remain, saying: “We came here to say that we are following you. We do not believe that any secret can be so important as to carry the burden of this dishonor, this humiliation. We came here to express our hope that this court, which will start the hearing in a few minutes, is powerful enough to bring out all the secrets.”



Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) İstanbul deputy Ufuk Uras, İpekçi’s daughter Nükhet İpekçi, Öz’s wife Sezen Öz and writer Adalet Ağaoğlu were also present to support the Dink family in addition to observers from bar associations from Brussels and Paris.



In addition, the Demokratik Yargı Derneği (Democratic Judiciary Union), which was found as an alternative to the highly politicized Judges and Prosecutors Association (YARSAV), released a press statement, calling for light to be shed on political murders like Dink’s and others. They stated that political murders stand before the democratic development of Turkey.



Security was tight near the courthouse in Beşiktaş because of the high number of people who came out in support of the Dink family. A group of people who gathered at the Beşiktaş pier protested against all political murders with slogans such as, “For Hrant, For Justice” and “Murderer State Will Be Held Accountable.”

Dink’s wife, Rakel, told reporters outside the courthouse that there will be no salvation unless there is “admission, repentance and apology.”