Dink's funeral. Will the whole subject be buried?
I don't know how I feel about being exactly right about the motive of the murderer of Hrant Dink. On the one hand I wish I was wrong, on the other, I'd have a hard time believing any other reason.
It all unfolded so quickly... they released the pictures, the boys father turned him in (that must have been very hard, but my god I am so thankful to him) and they nabbed the culprit. He apparently was directed and funded by a local Turkish man who trained in Azerbaijan with Chechen terrorists. Maybe I was hoping I was wrong. Maybe the fact that there were people behind it - rather than just a single, misguided soul scare me even more. But the reaction of many Turks has certainly gone a long way towards giving me hope.
I still have mixed feelings about the whole "this was a shot at Turkey" we have heard so much. The blame, as I originally said and still believe lies squarely at the doorstep of the Turkish government. They prosecuted him on a MISQUOTE - not even for a correct one, and convicted him, and upheld it, when numerous others were let off for much "worse". They made him well known, simply for saying the sort of normal thing that is said around the world, and behind closed doors in Turkey. These facts led to his shooting. If article 301 is meant to silence people, the gunman merely enforced the law. The intent of the law, rather than the letter of the law.
The media coverage again and again mentioned that Turkey and Armenia do not have diplomatic relations. Never once did they mention that the Armenian side of the border has always been open - but the Turks have closed it for one reason or another. Same with relations. Armenia has always been ready for unconditional diplomatic relations. Turkey has refused consistently. First it demanded that newly independent Armenia renounce any claims to its lands (claims which it had never made), and then changed its demand to having the Armenians pull out of Karabakh (even as they continue their illegal occupation of N. Cyprus for 3 decades), and also have threatened Armenia not to bring up the genocide issue internationally. And that's just with Armenia proper. In Turkey the Armenians are still not allowed to bequeath any property to the Armenian organizations/church there. The church may not buy any property, may not re-open a seminary, repair buildings without red tapes meant to block it, have trouble with confiscated schools, graveyards being taken. And of course, they continue to actively deny the genocide abroad and teach Turks it never happened.
How evil can you be to a tiny neighbor that you nearly wiped off the face of the earth? And then for the president and all these members of government to say, oh yes, this was an attack on Turkey. Bullshit. This was Turkish government policy reaching its logical conclusion. It is, I insist, the fault of the Turkish government.
Some people say, oh, is it too much to hope article 301 will be dropped because of this? That is NOTHING. That's a drop in the ocean. Look at the list I compiled above. Is it too much to ask for EVERYTHING to be rectified? For the government to step forward and tell the people they have been lied to, that many wrongs need to corrected and there is no better time than the present?
With the Turkish peoples reaction, I have seen hope, but not with their governments. I was truly amazed at the coverage the story got, and relieved. When I first read the 2 lines on RFE/RL, I thought that this was all the coverage the story would get, and this poor man would be forgotten forever. Now I have some hope that he will be a touchstone of change. Even Turks too blinded by their governments propaganda or too proud to be able to accept the genocide as a possibility have been outraged and shown respect for Hrant.
I hope a memorial will be placed where he was shot down. I think a fitting one would be a khachkar. It would be physical proof that things are changing. That a big Armenian cross can be placed in central Istanbul and people can simply accept it.
In the end though Hrant is gone. I doubt if the small and trodden-upon Armenian community will find a new leader like him. I don't know if others will want to risk their lives the way he was willing to. He left a wife and three children behind. He seemed almost to see the assassination coming. His last column was about the threats he was receiving and the unwillingness of the government to do anything about it. The day he died, he wrote this (which is also a condemnation of the Armenian government, fittingly, from a man who just wanted what was right in this world):
It all unfolded so quickly... they released the pictures, the boys father turned him in (that must have been very hard, but my god I am so thankful to him) and they nabbed the culprit. He apparently was directed and funded by a local Turkish man who trained in Azerbaijan with Chechen terrorists. Maybe I was hoping I was wrong. Maybe the fact that there were people behind it - rather than just a single, misguided soul scare me even more. But the reaction of many Turks has certainly gone a long way towards giving me hope.
I still have mixed feelings about the whole "this was a shot at Turkey" we have heard so much. The blame, as I originally said and still believe lies squarely at the doorstep of the Turkish government. They prosecuted him on a MISQUOTE - not even for a correct one, and convicted him, and upheld it, when numerous others were let off for much "worse". They made him well known, simply for saying the sort of normal thing that is said around the world, and behind closed doors in Turkey. These facts led to his shooting. If article 301 is meant to silence people, the gunman merely enforced the law. The intent of the law, rather than the letter of the law.
The media coverage again and again mentioned that Turkey and Armenia do not have diplomatic relations. Never once did they mention that the Armenian side of the border has always been open - but the Turks have closed it for one reason or another. Same with relations. Armenia has always been ready for unconditional diplomatic relations. Turkey has refused consistently. First it demanded that newly independent Armenia renounce any claims to its lands (claims which it had never made), and then changed its demand to having the Armenians pull out of Karabakh (even as they continue their illegal occupation of N. Cyprus for 3 decades), and also have threatened Armenia not to bring up the genocide issue internationally. And that's just with Armenia proper. In Turkey the Armenians are still not allowed to bequeath any property to the Armenian organizations/church there. The church may not buy any property, may not re-open a seminary, repair buildings without red tapes meant to block it, have trouble with confiscated schools, graveyards being taken. And of course, they continue to actively deny the genocide abroad and teach Turks it never happened.
How evil can you be to a tiny neighbor that you nearly wiped off the face of the earth? And then for the president and all these members of government to say, oh yes, this was an attack on Turkey. Bullshit. This was Turkish government policy reaching its logical conclusion. It is, I insist, the fault of the Turkish government.
Some people say, oh, is it too much to hope article 301 will be dropped because of this? That is NOTHING. That's a drop in the ocean. Look at the list I compiled above. Is it too much to ask for EVERYTHING to be rectified? For the government to step forward and tell the people they have been lied to, that many wrongs need to corrected and there is no better time than the present?
With the Turkish peoples reaction, I have seen hope, but not with their governments. I was truly amazed at the coverage the story got, and relieved. When I first read the 2 lines on RFE/RL, I thought that this was all the coverage the story would get, and this poor man would be forgotten forever. Now I have some hope that he will be a touchstone of change. Even Turks too blinded by their governments propaganda or too proud to be able to accept the genocide as a possibility have been outraged and shown respect for Hrant.
I hope a memorial will be placed where he was shot down. I think a fitting one would be a khachkar. It would be physical proof that things are changing. That a big Armenian cross can be placed in central Istanbul and people can simply accept it.
In the end though Hrant is gone. I doubt if the small and trodden-upon Armenian community will find a new leader like him. I don't know if others will want to risk their lives the way he was willing to. He left a wife and three children behind. He seemed almost to see the assassination coming. His last column was about the threats he was receiving and the unwillingness of the government to do anything about it. The day he died, he wrote this (which is also a condemnation of the Armenian government, fittingly, from a man who just wanted what was right in this world):
To stay and resist
But if we go, where then?
To Armenia?
But to what extent could a person like me tolarete the injustice as intolerant as I am at this issue? Wouldn't I find myself in greater troubles there?
To go and live in European countries wasn't my style either.
I know myself. After three days abroad, I miss my country. What should I do there?
Ease makes me uneasy!
To leave "boiling hells" and go to "ready heavens" was against my understanding.
We were sort of people desiring to turn hell to heaven.
To stay and live in Turkey was our real wish and and also a must of respect towards all of our known and unknown friends giving the struggle of democracy in Turkey and supporting us.
We would stay and resist.
However if someday we had to go, then we would go like in 1915... like our ancestors... Without knowing where to go.... Walking on the roads they had walked.... Feeling their pain and agony...
With such a reproach we would leave our country. And we would not go to the place of our heart but where our feet went. To whatever place it was.
posted by Raffi K. at 8:52 PM
2 Comments:
It is very likely the killer’s family was formerly Greek or possibly Armenian as the following article http://groong.usc.edu/news/msg175213.html explains...
Ironically, I was listening to Church Greece Radio today, Feast Of St John Chrysostom, & they read
exacly that passage, as to where he was to go- the program was designed befor the death, & ironically had sceduled 2 songs in Greek, based on Armenian poetry-
At least in Greece, Armenia lives on- I hope our story collectively, as Greeks, Armenians, Assyrians & other gets out-
God Bless- A good year- Maria Yorgakopoulou Amherst Mass USA
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