Arat Dink, Serkis Seropyan, Karin Karakashli,
Aydin Engin, all members of the staff of "Agos" weekly in Istanbul,
and Erdal Dogal, the Dink family lawyer, are charged with
"denigrating Turkishness" under Article 301 of the Turkish Penal
Code. Some of them may face three years of incarceration if
convicted. The pretext is the publication of an old interview with
the Reuters News Agency in which
 the late assassinated Hrant
Dink made reference to the Genocide of the Armenians.
Renowned writers, scholars and
journalists such as Orhan Pamuk, Elif Shafak, Taner Akçam, Ragip
Zarakolu and others were charged with similar criminal offences
over the last while. Some of them have chosen self-exile and are now
living in Europe, the United States and elsewhere for fear of their
own lives and avoiding the destiny that the late Hrant Dink faced.
We, the undersigned, strongly protest
against the disdainful use of article 301 of the Penal Code. Its
application has proven to be an abhorrent violation of the exercise of
freedom of expression and thought. Internationally it has brought
nothing but scorn, and locally it has fomented an atmosphere of hatred
and xenophobia. It is a painful reminder of the disingenuous call of the
Turkish authorities to have a mixed commission of historians to study
the past.
In solidarity
with scholars, artists, journalists, human rights activists who seek
freedom of expression and thought, we call upon the Turkish authorities
to scrap the Draconian article once and for all. |