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Saturday, 20 January 2007, 04:33 GMT
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6281545.stm
Armenian anger at Turkish murder
The Armenian government has condemned the murder in Istanbul of a prominent
Turkish journalist of Armenian descent.
The speaker of Armenia's parliament said the murder showed that Turkey
should not even dream about joining the European Union.
Hrant Dink's murder on Friday sparked a protest by thousands of people where
he was shot near his newspaper's offices.
He had written extensively about the massacre of Armenians during the final
days of the Ottoman Empire in 1915.
Armenian President Robert Kocharian said: "The killing of this well-known
Armenian journalist in Turkey raises numerous questions and deserves the
strongest condemnation.
"We hope that the Turkish authorities will do everything possible to find
and punish the culprit strictly in accordance with the law".
The speaker of Armenia's parliament, Tigran Torosyan went even further.
"Following the murder, Turkey should not even dream about joining the
European Union," the Armenian news agency Arminfo quoted him as saying.
Journalists and politicians in Turkey have expressed outrage at the killing,
which many described as a political assassination, while the US, EU, France,
and several human rights groups also voiced shock and condemnation.
Police said Hrant Dink was shot twice. Late on Friday, Turkish media quoted
Istanbul's governor as saying three people were in custody over the killing.
Hrant Dink was found guilty in October 2005 of insulting Turkish identity
after he wrote an article which addressed the mass killings of Ottoman
Armenians nine decades ago.
Dink was one of Turkey's most prominent Armenian voices and despite threats
on his life, he refused to stay silent.
The killings of hundreds of thousands of Armenians by the Ottoman Turks is a
sensitive subject in both Armenia and Turkey.
Many Armenians have campaigned for the killings to be recognised
internationally as genocide.
Turkey denies any genocide, saying the deaths were a part of World War I.
The two countries still have no official relations since Armenia gained
independence after the break up of the Soviet Union in 1991.
Saturday, 20 January 2007, 04:33 GMT
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6281545.stm
Armenian anger at Turkish murder
The Armenian government has condemned the murder in Istanbul of a prominent
Turkish journalist of Armenian descent.
The speaker of Armenia's parliament said the murder showed that Turkey
should not even dream about joining the European Union.
Hrant Dink's murder on Friday sparked a protest by thousands of people where
he was shot near his newspaper's offices.
He had written extensively about the massacre of Armenians during the final
days of the Ottoman Empire in 1915.
Armenian President Robert Kocharian said: "The killing of this well-known
Armenian journalist in Turkey raises numerous questions and deserves the
strongest condemnation.
"We hope that the Turkish authorities will do everything possible to find
and punish the culprit strictly in accordance with the law".
The speaker of Armenia's parliament, Tigran Torosyan went even further.
"Following the murder, Turkey should not even dream about joining the
European Union," the Armenian news agency Arminfo quoted him as saying.
Journalists and politicians in Turkey have expressed outrage at the killing,
which many described as a political assassination, while the US, EU, France,
and several human rights groups also voiced shock and condemnation.
Police said Hrant Dink was shot twice. Late on Friday, Turkish media quoted
Istanbul's governor as saying three people were in custody over the killing.
Hrant Dink was found guilty in October 2005 of insulting Turkish identity
after he wrote an article which addressed the mass killings of Ottoman
Armenians nine decades ago.
Dink was one of Turkey's most prominent Armenian voices and despite threats
on his life, he refused to stay silent.
The killings of hundreds of thousands of Armenians by the Ottoman Turks is a
sensitive subject in both Armenia and Turkey.
Many Armenians have campaigned for the killings to be recognised
internationally as genocide.
Turkey denies any genocide, saying the deaths were a part of World War I.
The two countries still have no official relations since Armenia gained
independence after the break up of the Soviet Union in 1991.