Author: Kalantarian Kevo

IRNA – Islamic Republic News Agency, Iran
Jan 19 2015

Archbishop: World to be at peace if people practice peace-seeking
spirit of Iranians

Tehran

The Archbishop of Armenians in Isfahan and south of Iran Babbken
Charian said religious minorities live an affectionate life along with
Muslim Iranians adding that if people of the world had the
peace-seeking spirit of the Iranian people the world would have been
at peace.

In a meeting with Managing Director of Lebanese National News Agency
(NNA) Laure Sleiman, the archbishop said: “Since I come to Iran many
groups and delegations from different countries have visited Iran and
had meetings with me.”

He further remarked that all the visiting figures have pointed to this
issue that prior to their visit they had a wrong view about Iran but
later they realized the realities about the country.

The archbishop noted that in the course of their visit to Iran foreign
delegations observe that the Jews, Assyrians and Christians are living
along Muslims in peace.

Referring to the free activities of the religious minorities in Iran
he said: “Religious minorities along with Muslims have peaceful
coexistence.”

Elsewhere in his remarks he called events in Syria deplorable and
added that national unity should be restored in Syria so that through
elections in that country problems will be solved.

He said there are 24 churches in southern Iran of which 13 are located
in Isfahan.

Meanwhile, the Lebanese official said this was her first visit to Iran
and stressed that her information about the country was not sufficient
but after her visit her point of view about the country has changed.

Sleiman visited Iran upon the invitation of IRNA Managing Director
Mohammad Khoddadi. She also met with Minister of Culture and Islamic
Guidance Ali Jannati and Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Marzieh Afkham
as well as a number of other officials.

Interfax, Russia
Jan 19 2015

Bastrykin expected to visit Armenia to discuss the murders of six
people where Russian soldier is suspect

YEREVAN. Jan 19

Alexander Bastrykin, the head of the Russian Investigative Committee,
will visit Yerevan on Monday at the invitation of his Armenian
counterpart Agvan Ovsepyan.

The Armenian Investigative Committee told Interfax the heads of the
Investigative Committees will discuss issues relating to the killing
of a family of six in Gyumri, in which Russian soldier Valery
Permyakov is suspected.

“Bearing in mind the characteristics of this criminal case, Agvan
Ovsepyan invited Alexander Bastrykin to Armenia. The invitation was
accepted and the visit will take place today,” the source said.

According to earlier reports, a family of six, including a two-year
old child, were murdered in Gyumri, northern Armenia, on January 12.
The only survivor, six-months-old Sergei Avetisyan, was hospitalized
with a stab wound.

Valery Permyakov, a serviceman from Russia’s 102nd military base, who
is deployed in Gyumri, was detained shortly after the attack. He is
now on the territory of the military base. Criminal charges were
brought against him on January 14 based on the Russian and Armenian
Criminal Codes.

On Sunday, Russian President Vladimir Putin called his Armenian
counterpart Serzh Sargsyan to again extend his condolences to the
victims’ relatives and all people of Armenia in regard of the tragedy
in Gyumri.

The Gyumri killings: Beyond the Legal Arguments

By Houry Mayissian on January 20, 2015
Special for the Armenian Weekly

More than a week since the Gyumri killings, the city and Armenia at
large are still struggling to come to terms with the heinous crime
that wiped out an entire family. As the massacre’s youngest victim,
six-month-old Seryozha Avetisyan succumbed to his injuries on Monday,
many questions remain unanswered; chief among them – what happens to
the culprit?

A requiem sevice in memory of six-month-old Seryozha Avetisyan took
place in Gyumri on Jan. 20. (Photo: Photolure/Hayk Baghdasaryan)

Valery Permyakov, a Russian soldier stationed at the 102nd Russian
Military Base in Gyumri, is said to be responsible for the multiple
killings. Permyakov was captured by Russian border guards trying to
flee across the Armenian-Turkish border and remains in Russian custody
to this day.

Immediately after the tragic event, angry protests broke out in
Gyumri, demanding that Permyakov be handed over to the Armenian
justice system. However, announcements made by Russian and Armenian
officials indicate that this is unlikely to be the case.

A statement by Armenia’s Office of the Prosecutor General first cited
the Russian Constitution that bars the extradition of a Russian
citizen to a foreign country. Questions about how and why Permyakov
appeared and remains in Russian custody aside, it is incomprehensible
why a representative of Armenia’s justice system would refer to the
Russian Constitution in relation to a crime committed on Armenian
soil.

Facing mounting pressure from the public while in Gyumri, Prosecutor
General Gevorg Kostanyan then gave assurances that Permyakov will be
tried in Armenia but shied away from promising that he will be
prosecuted in an Armenian court. The best he could offer protestors in
Gyumri was a promise to appeal to his Russian counterpart asking for
Permyakov’s handover. It is unclear what steps Kostanyan has taken
since.

The 1997 bilateral treaty between Russia and Armenia that established
the terms under which the Russian 102nd military base is stationed in
Gyumri, states that soldiers who commit crimes outside the confines of
the base are subject to Armenian law. The same treaty upholds Russian
jurisdiction over crimes committed within Russian military facilities
in Armenia, a clause that has been cited as one justification for not
handing over Permyakov, given that the latter also deserted his base
just before allegedly committing the crime.

In essence, however, the criminal’s handover is not about what legal
frameworks apply and which loopholes can be exploited. It is about
Armenia’s leadership (finally) speaking out for its people; it is
about respect between two nations; it is a matter of pride, dignity
and justice for a nation too often overlooked by its own government
and too often coerced by its more powerful neighbor.

In essence, however, the criminal’s handover is not about what legal
frameworks apply and which loopholes can be exploited. It is about
Armenia’s leadership (finally) speaking out for its people; it is
about respect between two nations; it is a matter of pride, dignity
and justice for a nation too often overlooked by its own government
and too often coerced by its more powerful neighbor.

While the country mourns, protests and demands answers, the silence of
its leaders has been deafening. Save for a few meagre announcements
that expressed condolences and urged restraint, the President, the
government, the political parties have, by and large, been silent;
silent and absent.

There has been no condemnation, no outrage, no genuine sympathy.
Attempts to declare a national day of mourning have been dismissed.
And when the people of Gyumri bid farewell to the Avetisyan family at
a sombre funeral service, there was no one standing by their side to
share their pain and to assure them that Armenian citizens are safe in
their homeland, that answers will be provided, that this won’t happen
again in a city that has already suffered so much loss.

If the intent of the silence has been to not upset Russia, ironically
it has proved counter-productive as evidenced by the protests held
outside the Russian diplomatic representations in Yerevan and Gyumri
as well as the Military Base itself. If it has simply been a matter of
incompetence, then sadly, that’s a tragedy of its own.

The Armenian government needs to speak up for its people. Rather than
citing the Russian constitution, it has to do everything in its power
to ensure Permyakov’s handover. Rather than curbing protests, it
should provide the people with a sense of security and assurances that
justice will be served. Whatever the end result may be, the people of
Armenia need to know that their government made every effort possible
on their behalf.

The Russian government too has a role to play. At this point in time
in particular, it needs to demonstrate respect for the wishes of a
deeply wounded nation, an ally and neighbour, and hand over the
soldier responsible for the killings without any further delay.

The Russian government too has a role to play. At this point in time
in particular, it needs to demonstrate respect for the wishes of a
deeply wounded nation, an ally and neighbour, and hand over the
soldier responsible for the killings without any further delay.

It is not the first time that a citizen of one country is found guilty
of committing a crime in the other. In July 2013, Hrachya Harutyuyan,
a citizen of Armenia working as a truck driver in Russia, crashed his
vehicle into a bus, resulting in the unfortunate death of 18 people.
Shortly after his arrest, Harutyunyan was brought before a Russian
courtroom dressed in women’s clothing, the humiliating photos causing
much anger in Armenia. Harutyunyan is currently serving a six-year
prison sentence in Russia. It is impossible to not compare the action
and reaction in each case.

No, the handling of the Permyakov case is not about jurisdiction. For
the people of Armenia, it is about instilling justice and restoring
the dignity of Armenia. It is about ensuring that Armenia’s
relationship with Russia be based on mutual respect and understanding
– not merely on a cold calculation of national interests.

Tehran’s Armenian diocese slams Charlie Hebdo’s insulting cartoon
Political Desk

On Line: 20 January 2015 18:00
In Print: Wednesday 21 January 2015

TEHRAN – The Armenian Diocese of Tehran has condemned French weekly
Charlie Hebdo for publishing an insulting cartoon of Islam’s holy
Prophet Mohammad (PBUH).

Speaking at a cultural ceremony in Iran’s capital on Monday, Sahak
Khosravian, the representative of the Archbishop of Armenian church in
Tehran, lashed out at the French satirical magazine for its
sacrilegious move, according to the Tasnim news agency.

“The Armenian Diocese of Tehran, for its part, condemns such a move.
We condemn insults to any dear prophet as a shameful action, and hope
that such moves would not occur anywhere in the world,” Khosravian
said.

Last Wednesday’s edition of Charlie Hebdo, which sold millions of
copies, shows a cartoon of Prophet Mohammad holding a “Je suis
Charlie” (I am Charlie) sign, a slogan widely used following the
January 7 attack on the magazine.

MT/MD

Gun pulled on group commemorating Dink

01.19.2015 17:08NEWS

At the commemoration rally held in Malatya, an unidentified young man
pulled a gun on the group. Police intervened before he could fire the
weapon.

According to the report of the DoÄ?an News Agency, the rally organized
on the 8th anniversary of journalist Hrant Dink’s passing began in
front of the Girls’ Vocational School. A group of around 100 people,
mostly composed of EÄ?itim-Sen (Union of Education Workers) carrying
carnations and photographs of Hrant Dink began marching towards the
ÇavuÅ?oÄ?lu Neighbourhood where Hrant Dink was born.

Just when the group had reached the intersection at Turgut Temelli
Street, an unidentified young man pulled a gun from his waist and
pointed it at the group. Police officers following the rally
overpowered the man and removed his weapon. The man was detained.

Le Figaro Online, France
vendredi 16 janvier 2015 05:01 PM GMT

Martyre arménien

par Jean-Christophe Buisson; [email protected]

Le cinéma de Jean-Christophe Buisson.

Située en actuelle Turquie, près de la frontière syrienne, Mardin est
une ville chère aux chrétiens. Dès le IIIe siècle vivaient là des
Syriaques parlant la langue du Christ (l’araméen). Au XIXe siècle,
sous occupation ottomane, la moitié de ses habitants y priait encore
Jésus et la Vierge Marie plutôt qu’Allah. Parmi eux 8000 Arméniens.
Qui seraient, à partir de Pques 1915, arrêtés, chassés, déportés,
viol̩s, massacr̩s Рcomme des centaines de milliers de leurs fr̬res,
victimes du premier grand génocide du XXe siècle.

Apr̬s Рentre autres РHenri Verneuil (Mayrig) et Atom Egoyan
(Ararat), le réalisateur de Head-on, inoubliable film coup-de-poing
(ou plutôt: coup-de-tête), Fatih Akin donne sa vision
cinématographique de cette tragédie, The Cut.Parti pris scénaristique:
narrer durant deux heures le parcours incroyable d’un jeune forgeron
arménien prénommé Nazaret (!). Installé à Mardin, il vit avec sa femme
Rakel la plus belle histoire d’amour qui soit, et ses deux filles font
de lui un père comblé. Jusqu’au jour de 1915 où il est incorporé de
force dans l’armée ottomane, condamné à casser des cailloux et
finalement égorgé comme ses compagnons pour avoir refusé de se
convertir à l’islam (une scène quasi insoutenable renvoyant
prospectivement aux images des exécutions perpétrées par les barbares
de l’Etat islamique). Ayant survécu à son assassinat (si, si, c’est
possible), désormais muet, Nazaret va errer pendant près de dix ans
entre le Liban, Cuba et les Etats-Unis, animé par le seul espoir de
retrouver sa famille vivante. Mais survit-on aux épouvantables
«marches de la mort» planifiées par les Turcs en plein désert
d’Anatolie?

D’un lyrisme assumé, parfois un peu grandiloquent, relevant autant du
film d’aventures que de la fiction historique et de
l’oeuvre-témoignage, le film d’Akin brille par sa mise en scène
soignée, sa photographie magnifique et l’excellente prestation de
Tahar Rahim. Y manquent néanmoins rythme et émotion. Quoique: de
savoir que l’auteur de ce film est un Allemand d’origine turque
n’est-il pas en soi motif de grande émotion?

Post-filmum: le film est sorti en Turquie (les choses évoluent un
peu). Dans quelques salles art et essai (il ne faut pas exagérer non
plus…).

Hurriyet Daily News, Turkey
Jan 19 2015

Hrant Dink commemorated on 8th year of murder

ISTANBUL

Police chief arrested in Dink murder case

Mourners have marched in Istanbul to commemorate Turkish-Armenian
journalist Hrant Dink, on the 8th anniversary of his killing.

The march started 1:30 p.m. on Jan. 19 from Taksim Square and ended
with a homage to Dink in front of the Armenian weekly Agos newspaper’s
office building in the Pangaltı neighborhood of the Å?iÅ?li district.

The marchers observed one minute of silence and then chanted slogans
in front of the Agos office.

Writer and poet Murathan Mungan gave a speech to the gathered crowd
from the window of the office.

`This country not only lost a precious son, but also a prominent
journalist. The absence of him and journalists like him is felt more
in a period when journalism is suffering a huge loss of dignity. Even
if only for this reason, we must look after Agos, which is Hrant
Dink’s fourth child and his legacy,” Mungan said.

People have been waiting for justice for 12 years in a country ruled
by a party that includes `justice’ in its name, Mungan added.

`Hrant Dink spoke in the language of peace, as a person who had
believed in the equality and brotherhood of all nations,’ he said,
adding that Dink was the 62nd person in Turkey who had paid the price
of his words with his life.

`He was not the spokesperson of Armenians but the voice of all people
of Turkey who were oppressed, excluded and exploited. His fight and
the fight of those like him is not a fight that can be interrupted by
their deaths. The crowds gathered on these squares show this,’ Mungan
said.

The parents of Berkin Elvan, who died in March 2014 after spending 269
days in a coma after being hit by a tear gas canister during a police
crackdown during the Gezi Park protests in Istanbul, also attended the
ceremony.

Dink, the highly esteemed former editor-in-chief of weekly Agos, was
murdered in broad daylight in front of his newspaper’s building on
Jan. 19, 2007 by a 17-year-old Turkish nationalist.

The triggerman, Ogün Samast, was convicted of premeditated murder and
sentenced to 22 years and 10 months of prison after a two year-trial.

The trial into the murder resumed Sept. 17, 2013 after the Supreme
Court of Appeals ruled that all suspects in the case had acted as part
of a criminal organization, rather than individually.

Istanbul’s 5th High Criminal Court, which is overseeing the case,
announced on Oct. 30, 2014 that it will focus on the `criminal
organization’ allegations against suspects, a move that lawyers
representing the victim’s family have demanded since the start of the
retrial.

Yusuf Hayal and Erhan Tuncel are accused of convincing Samast in the
Black Sea province of Trabzon to shoot Dink.

Civil servants and institutions allegedly implicated in the murder of
Dink should be investigated, Turkey’s Constitutional Court stated in
its detailed ruling on the case on Nov. 12, 2014. The court had
earlier stated that the case had not been probed efficiently and the
victim’s rights were violated, in a ruling issued in July 2014.

The ruling became a milestone in the case that has been lingering
since the killing in 2007. It came after the Justice Ministry cleared
the path for investigations into nine civil servants, including senior
police officers occupying key posts at the time of the murder. The
officials have been accused of negligence and threatening Dink before
his death.

Before his killing, Dink had been called to a police department and
warned about a possible plot against him. It is therefore thought that
the murder plot was known about within some state institutions before
it happened.

In a recent development, Muhittin Zenit and Ã-zkan Mumcu, two police
officers on duty at the police department in Trabzon when Dink was
killed in Istanbul, were arrested.

Former Istanbul police chief Celalettin Cerrah, former Trabzon police
chief ReÃ…?at Altay, former Trabzon Police Intelligence Chief Faruk
Sarı, former Istanbul Deputy Governor Ergun Güngör and former Istanbul
Police Intelligence Chief Ahmet Ä°lhan Güler have also testified as
suspects in the case.

January/19/2015

Today’s Zaman, Turkey
Jan 19 2015

Former Cizre police chief arrested as part of Dink murder trial

An Ä°stanbul court arrested former Cizre Police Chief Ercan Demir, who
turned himself in on Monday after an arrest warrant had been issued
against him on Jan. 16, in the ongoing trial into the 2007 murder of
Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink.

Demir had been questioned as a suspect as part of the Dink murder
investigation by prosecutors at the Ä°stanbul Courthouse on Jan. 12,
but a court released him pending trial. Ä°stanbul prosecutors appealed
the court’s decision and Ä°stanbul’s Penal Court of Peace issued an
arrest warrant for Demir on Jan. 16 on charges of “negligence in
preventing the murder.”

Demir, who went to the Ankara Chief Prosecutor’s Office to turn
himself in, was brought to Ä°stanbul for his detention early on Monday.

The Radikal daily reported that Demir was dismissed from his post as
police chief on Jan. 16, when the court ordered him to be detained.
Demir was recently reassigned to his former position as the head of
the Information Technologies Office at the Information Technologies
and Communications Authority (BTK).

He had only been assigned to his post as the police chief of Å?ırnak
province’s Cizre district on Dec. 30, sparking controversy because he
is among the suspects in the Dink murder case accused of negligence.

Cizre is a southeastern district where tensions have been running
high. Both Interior Minister Efkan Ala and imprisoned leader of the
outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) Abdullah Ã-calan warned against
“provocations” in the district. A total of seven individuals have been
killed in the troubled town since Dec. 27, 2014. The town has been on
edge since deadly clashes erupted between pro-PKK and Islamist Kurds
last month. Those clashes left three people dead and five injured in
Cizre’s Nur neighborhood.

Dink, the editor-in-chief of the Agos newspaper, was assassinated in
broad daylight outside his office on Jan. 19, 2007. He was shot and
killed by an ultra-nationalist teenager. The hit man, Ogün Samast, and
18 others were brought to trial. Since then, the lawyers for the Dink
family and the co-plaintiffs in the case have presented evidence
indicating that Samast did not act alone. Another suspect, Yasin
Hayal, was given life in prison for inciting Samast to murder.

After the Supreme Court of Appeals partially reversed a lower court’s
verdict, which said there were no criminal rings behind the murder, a
re-trial kicked off in October 2014, in which the suspects are charged
with being members of a criminal ring.

On Jan. 12, the prosecutor of the case issued arrest warrants for
Trabzon Police Department Assistant Commissioner Ã-zkan Mumcu and
another police officer, Mühittin Zenit, on charges of negligence and
misconduct in Dink’s murder.

Today’s Zaman, Turkey
Jan 19 2015

Hrant Dink commemorated on 8th anniversary of murder as calls for justice grow

by ARSLAN AYAN / ISTANBUL

Thousands of people marched from Taksim Square to the headquarters of
the Agos newspaper to commemorate slain Armenian-Turkish journalist
Hrant Dink, who was shot dead outside his newspaper’s office in Ã…?iÃ…?li,
Ä°stanbul, on Jan. 19, 2007, on the eighth anniversary of his
assassination.

The large crowd gathered in Taksim at 1:30 p.m. on Monday and began to
march to the Agos weekly headquarters in Ã…?iÃ…?li, as they have done
every year on Jan. 19 since Dink’s murder. They march to express
support for Dink’s family and demand justice. Dink’s family, friends
and human rights organizations welcomed the crowd on the spot where
Dink was shot dead in Ä°stanbul outside the office of Agos, the
Armenian newspaper where he was editor-in-chief.

Speaking to the crowd from the balcony of Agos, Murathan Mungan, a
famous Turkish poet and author, stated that those who murder Dink
actually murdered the voice of the peace of which they could not
understand. `Hrant spoke a kind of Turkish and Armenian that they [who
murdered him] somehow could not understand. He spoke the language of
peace,’ Mungan told the crowd.

`One of the dreams of Hrant Dink was to see the opening of the
Turkish-Armenian border because reopening the border would develop the
two nations’ relations and bring misunderstandings to an end.
Reopening of the border would mean the opportunity to start over.
Today, as well as remembering Hrant’s memory, we will also remember
his dreams and do everything to bring them to fruition,’ Mungan added.

Speaking to Today’s Zaman just before the commemoration ceremony
started, Dink’s widow, Rakel Dink, stated that although it has been
eight years without Hrant, justice has not yet been served. Rakel Dink
also said that what keeps her strong is knowing that hundreds of
thousands of people share her pain every year on Jan. 19 since her
husband’s murder.

The parents of Berkin Elvan, a teenager who died after being hit by a
teargas canister fired by the police during the Gezi protests of 2013,
also attended Dink’s commemoration ceremony and greeted the crowd that
gathered outside the Agos headquarters.

Hrant Dink’s widow, Rakel Dink (3rd from L) walks with parents of
Berkin Elvan and lawmakers from the CHP and the HDP. (Photo: Today’s
Zaman, Turgut Engin)

Main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) Deputy Chairman Sezgin
Tanrıkulu also participated in the march and spoke with the press
following the ceremony in front of the Agos headquarters. Tanrıkulu
stated that Dink was murdered during the reign of the Justice and
Development Party (AK Party), and therefore the government was guilty
of negligence. `Unfortunately, instead of bringing this murder to
light, the government is trying to lay its responsibility on others,’
Tanrıkulu said in reference to the government’s recent efforts to
associate the Dink assassination with the faith-based Hizmet movement,
which is inspired by the teachings of prominent Turkish Islamic
scholar Fethullah Gülen.

Many at Monday’s march wore badges and carried placards declaring `We
are here Ahparig!, We are all Armenians. We will not forget.’ Ahparig
means `my brother’ in Armenian.

A woman looks out of a window near a banner marking the eighth
anniversary of the killing of Hrant Dink in Ä°stanbul. The banner
reads: “We are here, my brother. 8th year” (Photo: Reuters)

Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink was shot by a 17-year-old boy,
Ogün Samast, on Jan. 19, 2007, in front of the Agos office, where he
served as editor-in-chief. In January 2012, Samast was sentenced to 22
years, 10 months in prison by a juvenile court while a court ruled on
life imprisonment for Yasin Hayal on charges of instigating the
murder. Another suspect, Erhan Tuncel, was acquitted of murder
charges.

In May 2013, the Supreme Court of Appeals overturned the court’s
original ruling, which dismissed the existence of an organized
criminal network in the case. The lower court, which found no evidence
that a terrorist organization was involved in Samast’s assassination
of Dink in 2007, had acquitted the suspects of claims that they had
formed a terrorist organization. The court did, however, say they were
guilty of forming an illegal and armed organization to commit a crime,
prohibited under Article 220 of the Turkish Penal Code (TCK).

Thousands of protesters gather outside the Agos newspaper. (Photo:
Today’s Zaman, Hüseyin Sarı)

Journalists’ unions commemorate Hrant Dink

Leading journalists’ unions, including the Turkish Journalists
Federation (TGF) and the Turkish Journalists Association, also
released statements on Monday to commemorate Dink.

Turkish Journalists Federation (TGF) Chairman Atilla Sertel said the
case launched to find the perpetrators of Dink’s murder has not
reached a conclusion that satisfies the public even though a long time
has passed since the murder. Noting that justice has not yet been
served despite eight years having passed since Dink was shot to death
in the middle of the street, Sertel said they want the real
perpetrators to be revealed and that they want them to suffer the
consequences of their deeds.

The TGF stated in its commemoration message on Monday: `The murderers
and the dark powers behind the Dink murder have not yet been punished,
although years have passed. Hrant Dink, a journalist who was defending
the unity and peaceful co-existence of communities in Turkey, and thus
fighting against racism, was killed by a fascist mindset.’

In its commemoration message, the Turkish Journalists’ Society (TGC)
highlighted that the real criminals behind the murder have not yet
been revealed. It said the public conscience, which was damaged by the
murder, can only be recovered after the real perpetrators are punished
in a fair trial.

The Turkish Journalists Association (TGD) stated in its commemoration
message on Monday: `The murderers and the dark powers behind the Dink
murder have not yet been punished, although years have passed. Hrant
Dink, a journalist who was defending the unity and peaceful
co-existence of communities in Turkey, and thus fighting against
racism, was killed by a fascist mindset.’

In its commemoration message, the Turkish Journalists’ Society (TGC)
highlighted that the real criminals behind the murder have not yet
been revealed. It said the public conscience, which was damaged by the
murder, can only be recovered after the real perpetrators are punished
in a fair trial.

Dink was shot and killed by an ultra-nationalist teenager. The hit
man, Ogün Samast, and 18 others were brought to trial. Since then, the
lawyers for the Dink family and the co-plaintiffs in the case have
presented evidence indicating that Samast did not act alone. Another
suspect, Yasin Hayal, was given life in prison for inciting Samast to
murder.

Hurriyet Daily news, Turkey
Jan 19 2015

Remembering through projects of dialogue Hrant Dink

by Emrah Güler

The same year Turkish-Armenian journalist and editor-in-chief Hrant
Dink was assassinated, a foundation was established in his name to
carry out his dreams of peace and dialogue. Here is a look at some of
the Hrant Dink Foundation’s projects on the anniversary of his death

It has been eight years today since Hrant Dink, Turkish-Armenian
journalist and editor-in-chief of the bilingual newspaper Agos, was
assassinated by a young nationalist. Dink was an advocate of
Turkish-Armenian reconciliation and wrote ardently about human and
minority rights. At his funeral, two hundred thousand marched,
chanting `We are all Armenians’ and `We are all Hrant Dink.’

Soon after, a foundation was established in his name to foster and
normalize the relationship between Turkey and Armenia, with the motto,
`The border will first be opened in our minds.’ The activities and
projects at the heart of the Hrant Dink Foundation lie in furthering
cultural dialogue and serving peace and empathy between the two
cultures. Here is a look at some of the foundation’s projects.

The foundation’s most popular project is a film competition called
Films About Conscience, which is much more than a competition. For the
last five years, the short film project is offering an interactive
platform for amateur and professional filmmakers to become part of a
community and talk about conscience through film. The
project/competition is inspired by Dink’s words, `The voice of
conscience has been sentenced to silence. Now, that conscience is
searching for a way out.’

Filmmakers are invited to upload videos of no more than five minutes
to the project’s website. Visitors are encouraged to vote for their
favorite films and publish comments on the films. Films are uploaded,
comments are welcome, votes are encouraged and at the end of a period
of six months, a jury selects the final 20 submissions. There are no
technical criteria. If your films are less than five minutes and are
on the theme of conscience, you are eligible for the competition.

Between March 31 and Nov. 30, 2014, a total of 59 films were uploaded
to the website, both from Turkey and abroad. The winners were
announced on Dec. 10, 2014, World Human Rights Day. The winning films
were selected by a jury including Mexican filmmaker Amat Escalante,
Director of Istanbul Film Festival Azize Tan, actor and writer Ercan
Kesal and writer Ã…?ebnem Ä°Å?igüzel, as well as Dink’s wife, Rakel Dink.

The winning films are collected in a DVD, and recommended to
international film festivals, while the first-place winner is awarded
an incentive scholarship. You can watch this year’s winner, Burkay
DoÄ?an’s short `Ã…?em’ (Candle), on the story of a candle trying to
flicker the burned-out wishes of others, as well as others on the
project’s website (filmsaboutconscience.org).

Beyond Borders

Another project run by the Hrant Dink Foundation, in partnership with
the Civilitas Foundation in Armenia and funded by the European Union,
is the Turkey-Armenia Travel Grant. Hoping to increase direct contacts
and to promote cooperation between the peoples of the two neighboring
countries, the grant has been supporting the travels of 200 people
between the two countries. Other supporters of the project include the
Community Volunteers Foundation (TOG) in Turkey and the Youth
Initiative Centre (YIC) in Gyumri, Armenia.

The grant requires specific goals and activities, such as partnership
building and networking, cross-border cooperation projects, exchange
programs, academic cooperation and joint productions of culture and
arts, among others, from individuals and non-profit civic initiatives.
You can check the Beyond Borders Turkey-Armenia website
(armtr-beyondborders.org) for the visitors’ experiences and
impressions.

Currently, one visitor is set to travel to Armenia to carry out
archival research on the Armenian press during the post-genocide
period as part of his PhD thesis, while another is going to interview
descendants of the 1915 events, associations and institutions for a
daily newspaper and later a book.

Coming to Turkey, a photographer will take photos of Armenian-Turkish
mixed couples living in Turkey and another visitor will work on a
project to create a public online map showing the Armenian heritage in
Istanbul. The travel grant is currently open to applications, with the
next deadline on March 1, to a selection committee deciding on 25
beneficiaries from Turkey, and 15 from Armenia. Check hrantdink.org
for more information on the foundation’s activities.

January/19/2015