Author: Kalantarian Kevo

AZG Armenian Daily #014, 26/01/2007

Murder of Hrant Dink

STATEMENT BY THE HON. JASON KENNEY, PC, MP.

I would like to extend my heartfelt sympathy to the
Dink family and believers in freedom and democracy as
we grieve the loss of Armenian journalist, Hrant Dink.

I condemn this barbaric hate crime and hope justice
will be served for those who are responsible for Mr.

Dink’s assassination. Mr. Dink was a well known voice
around the world on Armenian affairs as a courageous
and principled journalist, particularly in his
writings regarding the Armenian genocide. Mr. Dink’s
work to promote tolerance has benefited countless
lives. I fully support the Armenian people as they
continue the work Hrant accomplished throughout his
life. Freedom of speech and respect for diversity must
be adhered to so that we can all live in peace and
harmony.

May God bless his Soul

"Asdvadz Hokin Loosavoreh"

Mourners remember slain Armenian-Turkish journalist
By BENJAMIN HARVEY, Associated Press Writer

The Associated Press
January 23, 2007 Tuesday 4:13 PM GMT

More than 100,000 mourners marched Tuesday in a funeral for a slain
ethnic Armenian journalist who had angered Turkish nationalists an
extraordinary outpouring of support for freedom of expression and
reconciliation.

Hrant Dink was gunned down outside his newspaper, Agos, on Friday. He
had been outspoken in labeling the mass killings of Armenians in the
last days of the Ottoman Empire as genocide.

Amid the grieving, there were signs his funeral might become a
catalyst for easing the antagonism between Turks and the dwindling
ethnic Armenian minority.

The crowds marched along a five-mile route from Agos to an Armenian
Orthodox church in one of the biggest funerals ever held in the city.

They carried placards that read, "We are all Armenians" in Turkish
and Armenian.

Onlookers filled bridges and streets, and the center of Istanbul was
shut down.

Despite a request from his family not to turn the funeral into
a protest, mourners raised their fists and shouted: "Shoulder to
shoulder against fascism!" and "Murderer 301!" a reference to the
freedom-curbing Turkish law that was used to prosecute Dink and others
on charges of insulting "Turkishness."

Among those brought to court over Article 301 was Orhan Pamuk, who
won the Nobel Prize in literature last year. Such prosecutions have
alarmed the European Union, which is considering Turkey’s bid to join
the bloc, but until Tuesday there were few mass rallies in favor of
freedom of speech in Turkey itself.

The liberal outpouring, if it gains momentum, could have significant
implications for democratic movements in the Islamic world, where
demonstrations against terrorism and other violence have been muted.

Dink, 52, sought to encourage reconciliation between Turkey and
Armenia. But he chose a dangerous path by making public statements
about the mass killings of Armenians by Turks in the early 20th
century, which remains one of the nation’s most divisive issues.

On several occasions, Dink expressed his view that the killings
amounted to genocide. Such statements enrage nationalists who
vehemently insist there was bloodshed on both sides during the
tumultuous collapse of the Ottoman Empire. The remarks also landed
him in court and prompted death threats.

Police are questioning seven suspects, including a teenager, Ogun
Samast, who authorities say has confessed to shooting Dink, and Yasin
Hayal, a nationalist militant convicted in a 2004 bomb attack at a
McDonald’s restaurant. Hayal has confessed to inciting the slaying
and providing a gun and money to the teenager, police said.

"I had no intention of insulting Turkishness," Dink told The Associated
Press in a telephone interview months before his death.

"My only concern is to improve Armenian and Turkish relations."

He seemed to have achieved that to a certain extent in his death:
Turkey has no diplomatic ties with Armenia but invited Armenian
officials and religious leaders to the funeral as well as moderate
members of the diaspora.

Armenia sent Deputy Foreign Minister Arman Kirakosian. The Armenian
Orthodox Church sent U.S.-based Bishop Khazkah Parsamian. Church
leaders from Romania and Bulgaria also attended.

"Hrant Dink was a great advocate in the country for freedom of speech
and for reconciliation, in particular between Armenians and Turks,"
said Ross Wilson, the U.S. ambassador to Turkey, on the sidelines
of the funeral procession. "Judging by what you see on the streets,
he did bring the people together."

Dink’s wife, Rakel, called for a deeper search for answers to the
killing.

"Seventeen or 27, whoever he was, the murderer was once a baby,"
she told mourners. "Unless we can question the darkness that turned
this baby into a murderer, we cannot achieve anything."

In a service attended by Armenians and Turks, Armenian Patriarch
Mesrob II called for expanded freedom of speech.

"It is unacceptable to judge and imprison someone because of his
thoughts, let alone to kill him," Mesrob said, weeping during his
eulogy.

"It is mystical that his funeral turned into an occasion where Armenian
and Turkish officials gathered together," Mesrob said.

Dink was buried in Istanbul’s Armenian graveyard, where priests
chanted and people applauded as his portrait was displayed and white
doves were released.

"It was an attack against all of us," said Oya Basaran, 52, a school
principal. "We want to give the message to the world that the killing
does not represent us."

Associated Press writers Suzan Fraser and Selcan Hacaoglu in Ankara
contributed to this report.

PROSPERING ARMENIA PARTY: MURDER OF DINK WAS ATTEMPT TO PUT DOWN
NATIONAL MINORITY OF TURKEY

Yerevan, January 22. ArmInfo. The murder of Hrant Dink in Istanbul
was an attempt to put down and make silent representatives of the
national minorities of Turkey, says Prospering Armenia party.

Dink was one of the few people who living in Turkey dared to openly
fight for the recognition of the Armenian Genocide and thereby to
resist the policy of the circles openly denying the Genocide and
grossly infringing on human rights. Prospering Armenia hopes that
the murderer of Dink will be punished.

Peterborough Examiner (Ontario)
January 19, 2007 Friday

Armenian Christmas in Bethlehem

GRAPHIC: An Armenian Orthodox priest and a worshipper light candles
following the Armenian Christmas procession in the Church of the
Nativity, traditionally believed to be the birthplace of Jesus
Christ, in the West Bank town of Bethlehem, yesterday. Armenian
Orthodox followers in the Holy Land celebrated Christmas yesterday.

Worldwide Faith News (press release), NY
Jan 20 2007

NCC condemns murder of Turkish-Armenian editor, calls for justice

>From "Daniel Webster" <[email protected]>
Date Fri, 19 Jan 2007 15:26:01 -0500

NCC condemns murder of Turkish-Armenian editor, calls for justice

New York City, January 19, 2007–The murder this morning of Hrant
Dink in Istanbul, Turkey "is a devastating development," said
Archbishop Vicken Aykazian, diocesan legate and ecumenical officer,
Diocese of the Armenian Orthodox Church of America. "The Armenian
people around the world are mourning his death," said Archbishop
Aykazian, who is also president-elect of the National Council of
Churches of Christ in the USA (NCC).

Dink, 53, was owner/editor of Agos, the largest weekly
Turkish-Armenian newspaper in Istanbul. Dink and Archbishop Aykazian,
a Turkish-born Armenian, were lifelong friends having attended the
same seminary school together.

"He’s the latest victim of the Turkish genocide of the Armenian
people that began in 1915," said Archbishop Aykazian. "He died
because he had the courage to say there was a genocide" by the
Ottoman Turks against Armenians, he said.

Dink had been convicted of insulting Turkish identity for publicly
writing about the Armenian genocide and was given a suspended
sentence. New laws in Turkey forbid negative public statements
criticizing the country.

"The NCC calls on the U.S. State Department to use whatever influence
possible to make sure this political assassination is fully
investigated with courage and clarity," said the Rev. Bob Edgar, the
NCC’s general secretary. "The Turkish government must show it will
defend the rights and the lives of religious and ethnic minorities,"
Edgar said. The archbishop said Pope Benedict called for protection
of religious minorities during his November visit to Turkey.

Archbishop Aykazian recalled a recent trip to Los Angeles with Dink
where they spoke to members of the Armenian community.

"Hrant said he was not afraid for himself," said the archbishop, "but
he was afraid for his children."

News reports said Dink had spoken of the possibility of leaving
Turkey because he felt he was no longer welcome in his own country.

"I am praying for my friend and colleague, Archbishop Vicken," said
the Rev. Michael Livingston, president of the NCC and executive
director of the International Council of Community Churches. "This is
a time for us to hold in prayer all of the Armenian people."

Last September Archbishop Aykazian and the Rev. Edgar led a mission
trip to Armenia with Habitat for Humanity.

"We learned a lot about the Armenian people during our ten days
there," said Edgar. "They are proud to be recognized as the first
Christian country and they are determined to stand firm against
genocide because they know firsthand its effects," he said.

The Turkish prime minister went on national television condemning the
murder and announced two suspects were in custody, according to news
reports.

Archbishop Aykazian will automatically become president of the NCC in
January 2008. The NCC is America’s ecumenical voice of 35 Orthodox,
Protestant, Anglican, historic African American and traditional peace
denominations. Together those churches represent 45 million members
in 100,000 congregations.

——

NCC News contact: Dan Webster, 212.870.2252, [email protected].
Latest NCC News at

le/2007/01/19/AR2007011900453_pf.html

Washington Post

Outspoken Editor Is Slain in Turkey
Voice for Armenians Was Put on Trial

By Benjamin Harvey
Associated Press
Saturday, January 20, 2007; A15

ISTANBUL, Jan. 19 — Hrant Dink, the most prominent voice of Turkey’s
shrinking Armenian community, a man who stood trial for speaking out
against the mass killings of Armenians by Turks, was shot and killed in
broad daylight Friday at the entrance to his newspaper’s offices.

Just hours after a gunman shot the journalist twice in the head,
thousands marched down the bustling street where he was slain, carrying
posters of Dink and shouting slogans in favor of free expression.

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan twice addressed the country to
condemn the killing and vowed to capture those responsible. Late Friday,
Istanbul’s governor announced that three people had been arrested,
CNN-Turk TV reported, without giving further details.

Many Turks assumed that the shooting was politically motivated, a
reaction to Dink’s public statements that the mass killings of Armenians
during and after World War I constituted genocide. Nationalists see such
statements as insults to the honor of Turks and as threats to national
unity.

In Turkey, people speak freely at their own peril despite generations of
Western-looking reformers. The Committee to Protect Journalists said
that in the past 15 years, "18 Turkish journalists have been killed for
their work, many of them murdered, making it the eighth deadliest
country in the world for journalists."

Dink, 52, was one of dozens of journalists, writers and academics who
have been tried for expressing themselves, most under Article 301 of the
penal code, which criminalizes insults to Turkey, its government or the
national character.

In a rare conviction, Dink was found guilty in October 2005 of trying to
influence the judiciary after his newspaper ran stories criticizing
Article 301. He was given a six-month suspended sentence.

Dink, a Turkish citizen of Armenian descent who edited the bilingual
Turkish-Armenian newspaper Agos, apparently sensed his life was in
danger.

"My computer’s memory is loaded with sentences full of anger and
threats," Dink wrote Jan. 10 in his last newspaper column. "I am just
like a pigeon. . . . I look around to my left and right, in front and
behind me as much as it does. My head is just as active."

Dink, who is survived by his wife, Rakel, and their three children, was
charming, soft-spoken and eloquent. He was respected and beloved by many
Turks who disagreed with his views but admired his courage in stating
them.

He was hated by just as many.

In the past few years, Turks had come to know Dink well, mostly because
of the highly publicized legal cases opened against him, in which he
faced jail time for talking of genocide.

In late 2005, Turks saw Dink lose his composure, crying on national
television as he discussed his latest court case and what it was like to
live among people who hated him and what he stood for.

"I’m living together with Turks in this country," he said in an October
interview as he contemplated his trial. "I don’t think I could live with
an identity of having insulted them in this country. . . . If I am
unable to come up with a positive result, it will be honorable for me to
leave this country."

Turkey’s relationship with its Armenian community has long been fraught
with tension, controversy and painful memories of a brutal past. Much of
Turkey’s once-sizable Armenian population was killed or driven out
beginning around 1915 in what an increasing number of countries are
recognizing as the first genocide of the 20th century.

Turks vehemently deny that their ancestors committed genocide, however,
and saying so is deemed tantamount to treason. In the 1970s and ’80s,
tensions were further inflamed as Armenians seeking revenge killed
dozens of Turkish diplomats.

Turkey, which is 99 percent Muslim, and Armenia, which claims to be the
first country to have officially adopted Christianity, share a border.
But it is closed, and the two countries have no formal diplomatic
relations.
The Washington-based Armenian Assembly of America issued a statement
Friday calling Dink "one of the most prominent Armenian voices in
Turkey."

"Hrant Dink was a man of principle, convictions and courage, and the
Armenian community mourns him worldwide as a loss for humanity," the
group’s executive director, Bryan Ardouny, said in an interview.

Ardouny, who had met Dink in October when he addressed the
Armenian-American Bar Association, described the slain journalist as an
"outspoken activist who was a living bridge between Armenians and Turks
in Turkey, a country where 70,000 Armenians still live and remain
vulnerable and unprotected even 92 years after the Armenian genocide."

Washington Post correspondent Nora Boustany in Washington contributed to
this report.

FIDH
Karine Appy, Attachée de presse, Press Officer
+33 1 43 55 14 12
+33 1 43 55 25 18
+33 6 68 42 93 47

Human Rights foundation of Turkey (HRFT)
Fédération internationale des ligues des droits de l’Homme (FIDH)
Association des droits de l’Homme en Turquie (IHD)
Ligue des droits de l’Homme (LDH)
Organisation mondiale contre la contre la torture (OMCT)

Communiqué

Turquie

Meurtre de Hrant Dink : l’assassinat du dialogue

19 janvier 2007 – La Fédération internationale des ligues des droits
de
l’Homme (FIDH) et ses organisations affiliées en Turquie,
L’association
des droits de l’Homme en Turquie (IHD) et la Human Rights foundation of
Turkey (HRFT), la Ligue des droits de l’Homme (LDH) et l’Organisation
mondiale contre la contre la torture (OMCT) expriment leur profonde
indignation devant le lche assassinat de Hrant Dink, journaliste turc
d’origine arménienne, et éditeur du journal bilingue
turc-arménien Agos,
ce jour à Istanbul.

Nous condamnons avec extrême fermeté ce meurtre sur une
personnalité qui
était avant tout l’un des piliers de la defense des droits de
l’Homme,
un citoyen qui s’est engagé avec ardeur dans les combats récents
menés
par la Turquie pour rentrer dans l’Union européenne (UE) et pour sa
démocratisation. Il était enfin l’incarnation même de la main
tendue et
du dialogue intercommunautaire aux fins de réconcilier progressivement
la République turque avec son passif en lien avec le traitement des
minorités.

Nous exigeons des autorités turques qu’elles recherchent activement
les
exécutants et les commanditaires de cet assassinat. Nous leur
rappelons
que leurs propos et actes concernant les minorités peuvent conduire et
inciter à ce type de tragédie.

Pour rappel, le 26 septembre 2006, M. Hrant Dinck, avait été
inculpé
pour `dénigrement de l’identité turque’, après avoir
qualifié de
`génocide’ le massacre des Arméniens en 1915.

U.S. STUDY AGAIN LAUDS ECONOMIC FREEDOM IN ARMENIA
By Emil Danielyan

Radio Liberty, Czech Rep.
Jan 16 2007

Armenia continues to boast a more liberal and open economy than most
countries in Europe and the former Soviet Union, according to an annual
survey released by two conservative U.S. institutions on Tuesday.

"The Wall Street Journal" and the Washington-based Heritage Foundation
rated the Armenian economy 32nd freest in the world in their 2007
Index of Economic Freedom covering 157 nations. They again praised the
country’s liberal trade regime, low taxes and uncomplicated business
registration procedures.

"Armenia is ranked 19th freest among the 41 countries in the European
region," concludes the study. "Armenia’s score puts it above Europe’s
average-an impressive feat for an impoverished landlocked country."

The rankings, topped by Hong Kong for a 13th consecutive year,
are based on 10 factors of economic freedom such as the level of
government intervention, trade and monetary policy, property rights
and business regulations. Armenia’s overall score of 69.4 percent,
measured on a scale of 100 percentage points, is considerably down
last year’s level. Still, it remains the highest in the Commonwealth
of Independent States. Even European economic powerhouses like France
and Italy were assigned lower grade.

"Low tax rates, low government expenditure, and low revenue from
state-owned businesses contribute to its impressive fiscal and
government freedom rankings," the study says. "Armenia has low
inflation, and its banking sector is both wholly private and well
regulated.

"Commercial regulations are flexible and relatively simple. There
are few restrictions on foreign investment, except for land ownership."

Neighboring Georgia is 35th in the rankings. Two other regional
states, Turkey Azerbaijan, fare much worse, occupying the 83rd and
107th spots respectively.

The index primarily takes account of the legal framework for doing
business in a particular country. Many analysts would argue that
existing laws and regulations are often irrelevant to economic
realities in Armenia where virtually all wealthy businessman are still
dependent on government connections due to serious problems with the
rule of law.

WSJ/Heritage researchers appear to have partly acknowledged this fact,
putting Armenia’s scores in the Property Rights and Freedom from
Corruption categories well below the world’s average. "The [Armenian]
judiciary is influenced by the executive and is also underdeveloped
and corrupt, substantially impeding the enforcement of contracts,"
they said.

Critics will also counter that the low level of tax revenues, worth
between 15 and 17 percent of Gross Domestic Product, is in fact a
major deficiency that results in a highly uneven distribution of the
benefits of Armenia’s double-digit economic growth. The International
Monetary Fund and the World Bank have long been pressing the Armenian
government to tackle what is widely seen as the result of widespread
tax evasion. President Robert Kocharian admitted the gravity of the
problem at an extraordinary meeting with top government officials
last week.

jczN2Y3dnFlZUVFeXk2MDYmZmdiZWw3Zjd2cWVlRUV5eTcwNTg 4MzImeXJpcnk3ZjcxN2Y3dnFlZUVFeXkz

Making up is hard to do
Monday, January 15, 2007

By HEATHER HADDON
HERALD NEWS

Anger and abandonment. Alcohol and depression. Blame and estrangement.

The O’Keeffes have experienced these divisive emotions and hurtful
responses. Local psychologists say they constantly see families torn
apart by them.

"It’s far too common," said Dr. Anie Kalayjian, a psychologist based
in Cliffside Park.

Family traumas can stem from amicable divorces and property disputes,
or devastating events such as abuse or murder. Reactions can include
road rage and irritation at one’s neighbors, or, in the extreme,
alcoholism, hopelessness and an inability to form meaningful
relationships.

People all respond to trauma differently. When it’s a shared
experience, as in a family, individuals often deflect their own hurt
by yelling at others, making up stories or denying the issue
altogether. Pain often breaks families apart rather than bringing them
together, with individuals ceasing contact or moving far away.

"Everyone is grieving, and that makes it very hard to support each
other and comfort each," said Andrea Wasser-Malmud of NewBridge
Services, a mental health organization based in Pompton Plains.

Once fissures occur, they are difficult to mend. Family members tend
to assume different roles — the co-dependent caretaker, needy victim,
or angry rebel — and act out accordingly.

The hurt and rejection typically gets passed between generations. It
often becomes a bigger issue when estranged children start families of
their own.

"They see the way that they start parenting, and it can remind them of
their own parent," said Caroline Clauss-Ehlers, a trauma specialist
and Rutgers University professor.

Those who seek an estranged family member must brace themselves for
further pain. People sometimes don’t reciprocate, or they harbor anger
that is just as fresh as when the fissure occurred.

"It’s almost like (the anger and distrust) happened yesterday," said
Kalayjian, who is completing a book on forgiveness.

Wasser-Malmud braces her clients for initially unfulfilling
outcomes. "The key is to have realistic expectations. And that’s
hard," she said.

If estranged family members do reunite, they shouldn’t seek an
emotional blowout. Better to take measured steps with feelings, and
only ask for information in digestible doses. Going to a movie
together can be a better scenario than sitting across the family
dinner table, Wasser-Malmud advised.

Reuniting is hard work. People are human beings with their strengths
and weaknesses. They can hug or throw stones.

But the reunion process, when done slowly and realistically, often
shakes off emotional boulders. Psychologists say it is the key to
breaking a cycle of trauma and forming healthy ties among spouses and
children. It can bring a freeing feeling and a sense of stability.

"By getting some of the answers, it can help you have a sense of
closure and peace," Wasser-Malmud said. "It gives you a chance to have
your family back, or to move on."

Reach Heather Haddon at 973-569-7121 or [email protected].

BUSH RESUBMITS NOMINATION FOR U.S. AMBASSADOR TO ARMENIA

Radio Liberty, Czech Rep.
AP
Jan 10 2007

President George W. Bush on Tuesday re-nominated as ambassador to
Armenia a career diplomat whose confirmation was blocked by Senate
Democrats in the last Congress.

The White House announced the submission of Richard Hoagland Tuesday,
despite calls by top Democrats to withdraw the nomination because
of his refusal to call the World War I-era killings of Armenians
genocide. Hoagland’s predecessor, John Evans, reportedly had his tour
of duty cut short because, in a social setting, he referred to the
killings as genocide.

Senator Robert Menendez, a Democrat, blocked the nomination after
Hoagland’s refusal to use the word genocide at his confirmation
hearing in June. Bush needed to resubmit the nomination, because it
effectively expired at the end of the previous Congress in December.

Menendez and the Senate’s top Democrat, Harry Reid, wrote a letter
to U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice in early December asking
the Bush administration to withdraw the nomination.

The Bush administration has warned that even congressional debate on
the genocide question could damage relations with Turkey, a moderate
Muslim nation that is a NATO member and an important strategic ally.

Turkey has adamantly denied claims by scholars that its predecessor
Ottoman state killed Armenians in a planned genocide.