Journalist convicted on charge of ‘insulting Turkish identity'

October 12, 2005
Committee to Protect Journalists

New York, October 12, 2005—The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns the conviction of a Turkish-Armenian journalist on a charge of "insulting and weakening Turkish identity through the media" An Istanbul court on Friday sentenced Hrant Dink, 52, editor-in-chief of the bilingual Turkish-Armenian weekly Agos, to a six-month suspended term. Dink and his lawyer, Fethiye Cetin, plan to appeal.
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"Despite official promises, Turkish journalists continue to be criminally prosecuted for their work," CPJ Executive Director Ann Cooper said. "At the heart of this case are the dozens of laws in Turkey that can make free expression a crime. Free expression will remain limited in Turkey as long as these laws are on the books."
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Dink faces additional charges for making critical comments at a 2002 human rights conference about Turkey's national anthem and a daily oath taken by Turkish schoolchildren in which they say, "Happy is the one who says, 'I am a Turk.' " Dink said then that he did not feel like a Turk, but like an Armenian who is a citizen of Turkey. He will appear in court in February for those remarks.

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