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Turkey September 7, 2006
H.E. Recep Tayyip Erdogan
Prime Minister
Office of the Prime Minister
Basbakanlik
Bakanliklar
06573 Ankara
Republic of Turkey
Fax: (011.90.312) 417-0476
Your Excellency:
We are writing on behalf of the Overseas Press Club of America to express our deep concern about the case involving Hrant Dink, his son and two other Armenian journalists, now pending in the Turkish courts. Our organization’s members are journalists with world-wide experience in news reporting.
As you are probably aware, Hrant Dink, managing editor of the Armenian-language weekly, Agos , was charged with trying to influence the course of justice by criticizing the six-month suspended sentence he received for “insulting Turkish identity.” However, a provincial judge found him not guilty, citing freedom of expression as grounds for the decision. This ruling, then, was overturned by an appeals court, and recently, a new hearing on his case was deferred until December. Dink’s son, Arat, and two other journalists have also been notified that they are to be tried on charges of attempting to influence the course of justice because they criticized the decision affecting Arat’s father. If convicted, they could face up to three years in prison.
Also, now Hrant Dink faces a new charge because, in an interview with the press, he referred to the massacre of Armenians in 1915 as “genocide.”
We are well aware that Turkey does not officially accept responsibility for the death of Armenians in 1915. However, we believe it is not in Turkey ‘s own interests in this year 2006 to prosecute independent journalists who are Turkish citizens for expressing a point of view on the tragic events that occurred more than 90 years ago, or who are criticizing court actions against them for expressing their opinions.
Particularly because Turkey ‘s application to join the European Union is currently pending, we hope you will take steps to see that the courts drop these charges against Mr. Dink, his son and their colleagues.
Respectfully yours,
George Bookman
Norman A. Schorr
Freedom of the Press Committee
cc:
H.E. Ahmet Necdet Sezer
President
Office of the President
Cumhurbaskanlugu kosku
Cankaya
06100 Ankara
Republic of Turkey
Fax: (011.90.312) 468-5026
Nabi Sensoy
Ambassador of Turkey to the U.S.A.
Embassy of the Republic of Turkey
2525 Massachusetts Avenue, NW
Washington , DC 20008
Fax: (202) 612-6744
Ambassador Baki Ilkin
Permanent Representative
Permanent Mission of the Republic of Turkey
to the United Nations
821 United Nations Plaza , 10th Floor
New York , NY 10017
Fax: (212) 949-0086
Ross Wilson
U.S. Ambassador to Turkey
Embassy of the United States of America
Ataturk Bulvari 110
Kavaklidere
Turkey
Fax: (011.90.312) 467-2532
(OR: United States Embassy – Turkey
APO/FPO
PSC 93 Box 5000
APO , AE 09823-5000)
The Editor The Editor
Agos Cumhuriyet
Fax: (011.90) 247-5519 editor@cumhuriyet.com .tr
The Editor The Editor
Hurriyet Sabah
editor@hurriyetim.com.tr editor@zaman.com.tr
The Editor
Sabah
editor@sabah.com.tr