TURKISH POLITICAL FORCES SPEAK OF THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE
Support A1+!Hrant Dink, Armenian editor of Turkish “Akos” newspaper (published in Turkey) has appealed to the European Court of Human Rights.
The representatives of the Turkish judicial system accuse Hrant Dink of slandering Turks. “I am not a racist and I haven’t committed any disgraceful act. I merely use the term genocide which is but a reality,” announced Mr. Dink during his meeting with journalists in the club “Mirror” today.
In case the European Court doesn’t recover the editor’s rights, he is going to leave Turkey. “If they don’t respect me and consider their enemy, I cannot live in that country any longer.”
Hrant Dink claims that the Turkish authorities are seriously concerned as the 1915 genocide has become the theme of consideration and contemplation even among the Turkish intelligentsia. “This is why Turkey started to teach pupils of elementary and secondary schools that in 1915 Armenians massacred Turks and not the vice versa.” The Turkish authorities started to pursue Dink after his announcement in which Dink said that all Armenians all over the world speak of the 1915 genocide, whereas the Armenians living in Turkey don’t even venture to show their respect towards the innocent victims of April 24. Hrant Dink mainatins that ordinary people in Turkey are unaware of the events of 1915, and the authorities do their best to distort the reality. Mr. Dink thinks that the Armenian genocide can be recognized by Turkey only in two cases; either under the pressure of the international community or by the demand of its people. In his opinion the two countries under question may come to an agreement provided the second version works.
