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World Crunch
Jan 25 2014
Death Of An Armenian Editor, Crimes Of Turkish History
Seven years after the assassination of Turkish-Armenian editor Hrant
Dink, silence remains on the crime of incitement to murder - just like
last century's Armenian Genocide.
Ahmet Insel (2014-01-25)
OpEd-
ISTANBUL - Last Sunday was the seventh anniversary of the
assassination of Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink.
For seven years, the 'coalition of silence' reigns, blocking the
revelation and prosecution of those responsible for the atmosphere
that led to the death of the so-called `treacherous Armenian.' These
forces guided and encouraged the murderer, and praised the act he
carried out, and continue to do so seven years later.
Those who pushed a 17-year-old to commit this murder, knowing he would
get a reduced sentence, have been touched by nobody. The court voiced
its powerlessness. Those within the state structure who knew such a
murder was in the works got promoted; one even became a cabinet
member.
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has recently removed the chief of
police who failed to prevent a corruption probe regarding his close
circle, crossed his name, but awarded those who were responsible for
allowing the murder of Hrant Dink. The conservative coalition of power
in vicious conflict today was in harmony when it came to prosecute the
triggerman, and to not confront the rest.
The prime minister who does not hesitate one second to shake down the
police and judiciary to defend himself, the government, his AKP
party's administration holds on to a hypocritical silence to not to
reveal the power organization behind the murder of the Armenian
newspaper editor.
Poison gas
The murder of Hrant was not an isolated event. The killing of Sevag
Balikci while serving in the military in 2011 in the Batman province
by a `stray bullet' from his friend's rifle on April 24; the
anniversary of the great massacre the Armenians were exposed to in
1915 and after, the great crime, the Genocide was not an isolated
event either. Nor were the slayings of the Italian Priest Andrea
Santoro and the employees of the Zirve Publishing House in Malatya.
All of these acts are a manifestation of the same mentality. Even if
they were not ordered from somewhere specific, they are acts fueled by
the same poison gas the ruling powers have released in this society's
atmosphere for centuries.
The criminals are the ones who use this poison gas of nationalism for
its own ends; and for its secular version ultranationalism, the
Muslim-Turk chauvinism that has sought to create a 99% Muslim society
- and yet are not satisfied with that, and pray onward for a 100%
Muslim Turkey. This is the foundational crime of the Republic of
Turkey. The murder of Hrant is a link in the chain of these massacres,
murders, rapes, confiscations, pillages and organized violations of
rights.
And on forgiveness?
Of course, it is not easy to face such a great crime, especially if
the individuals who forged the founding links in this criminal chain
have long since died. Moreover, if the guilty parties have inherited
an entire society that is in partnership with the crime. The title of
French criminal lawyer Antoine Garapon's 2002 book describes the
situation between Turkey and the Armenians: `Crimes That Can Be
Neither Punished, Nor Forgiven.'
In his book, Garapon states that the Nuremberg and Tokyo trials were
firsts, and it became even harder at the end of the 1990's to hide
behind national sovereignty to avoid prosecution for crimes against
humanity. He says it is a meaningful coincidence that the NATO planes
started bombing Serbia to stop the mass murder in Kosovo on March 24,
1999 was the day the British House of Lords decided to eliminate the
immunity of Chile's bloody dictator General Augusto Pinochet.
That day 15 years ago is the symbolic moment when the traditional
right of sovereignty, by both judicial and militaristic means, could
no longer stand in the way of the fight against such crimes. This was
followed by the first international crime investigation against a
sitting head of state and the start of the trial of Slobodan Milosevic
on October 12, 2001. The International Criminal Court was founded in
2002, authorized to prosecute crimes against humanity within its
jurisdiction.
The aim of the court is to answer the mass murders in the name of
humanity. Because, more often than not, either the legal system of the
countries where these crimes are committed is unsuitable to try them,
or the criminals have the power to challenge the law.
In fact, these are crimes the penal law are often unfamiliar with;
ones committed, encouraged or assisted by a political decision from a
ruling administration. Garapon states these crimes are committed by
making a part of the society, mostly a big part, partners in crime
with the support of the rule of law. And so it is not possible to
pursue these crimes with the traditional penal law methods - and gets
even more complicated if they were committed during a state of war.
Time to speak
The Allies of World War I have jointly declared the ethnic cleansing
committed against the Armenians by the Ottomans was `a crime against
humanity and civilization' on May 24, 1915. The concept of crimes
against humanity was first mentioned in relation to this event.
A great national alliance in Turkey has been at work since then to
leave this great crime undefined and the partners in crime
unprosecuted; if we do not count the parentheses opened and shortly
closed during the 1919 trials. There is a great coalition of silence
and cooperation formed to deny the great crime committed against the
Armenians; to leave it undebated, forgotten.
This is the seventh anniversary of the slaying of Hrant. In a few
months, it will be the 99th anniversary of the act that eliminated the
Armenians from these lands. Call it anything we want: crime against
humanity, Genocide, the great crime, the great disaster, the great
sin; we are talking about the same enormous crime in the end.
Is it not time for today's Republic of Turkey to declare its deep
sorrow for such a crime, and apologize to all Armenians after 100
years of silence?
And let us not forget: this great crime is not just a legacy of the
past. The same crimes are being committed today, right here. The ones
who defend the offenders are together keeping their silence alive. We
will not be a part of this by staying silent ourselves. For Hrant, for
justice.
http://www.worldcrunch.com/world-affairs/death-of-an-armenian-editor-crimes-of-turkish-history/hrant-dink-erdogan-assassination-akp-pinochet-milosevic/c1s14780/#.UuQiuz_8LIU
Jan 25 2014
Death Of An Armenian Editor, Crimes Of Turkish History
Seven years after the assassination of Turkish-Armenian editor Hrant
Dink, silence remains on the crime of incitement to murder - just like
last century's Armenian Genocide.
Ahmet Insel (2014-01-25)
OpEd-
ISTANBUL - Last Sunday was the seventh anniversary of the
assassination of Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink.
For seven years, the 'coalition of silence' reigns, blocking the
revelation and prosecution of those responsible for the atmosphere
that led to the death of the so-called `treacherous Armenian.' These
forces guided and encouraged the murderer, and praised the act he
carried out, and continue to do so seven years later.
Those who pushed a 17-year-old to commit this murder, knowing he would
get a reduced sentence, have been touched by nobody. The court voiced
its powerlessness. Those within the state structure who knew such a
murder was in the works got promoted; one even became a cabinet
member.
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has recently removed the chief of
police who failed to prevent a corruption probe regarding his close
circle, crossed his name, but awarded those who were responsible for
allowing the murder of Hrant Dink. The conservative coalition of power
in vicious conflict today was in harmony when it came to prosecute the
triggerman, and to not confront the rest.
The prime minister who does not hesitate one second to shake down the
police and judiciary to defend himself, the government, his AKP
party's administration holds on to a hypocritical silence to not to
reveal the power organization behind the murder of the Armenian
newspaper editor.
Poison gas
The murder of Hrant was not an isolated event. The killing of Sevag
Balikci while serving in the military in 2011 in the Batman province
by a `stray bullet' from his friend's rifle on April 24; the
anniversary of the great massacre the Armenians were exposed to in
1915 and after, the great crime, the Genocide was not an isolated
event either. Nor were the slayings of the Italian Priest Andrea
Santoro and the employees of the Zirve Publishing House in Malatya.
All of these acts are a manifestation of the same mentality. Even if
they were not ordered from somewhere specific, they are acts fueled by
the same poison gas the ruling powers have released in this society's
atmosphere for centuries.
The criminals are the ones who use this poison gas of nationalism for
its own ends; and for its secular version ultranationalism, the
Muslim-Turk chauvinism that has sought to create a 99% Muslim society
- and yet are not satisfied with that, and pray onward for a 100%
Muslim Turkey. This is the foundational crime of the Republic of
Turkey. The murder of Hrant is a link in the chain of these massacres,
murders, rapes, confiscations, pillages and organized violations of
rights.
And on forgiveness?
Of course, it is not easy to face such a great crime, especially if
the individuals who forged the founding links in this criminal chain
have long since died. Moreover, if the guilty parties have inherited
an entire society that is in partnership with the crime. The title of
French criminal lawyer Antoine Garapon's 2002 book describes the
situation between Turkey and the Armenians: `Crimes That Can Be
Neither Punished, Nor Forgiven.'
In his book, Garapon states that the Nuremberg and Tokyo trials were
firsts, and it became even harder at the end of the 1990's to hide
behind national sovereignty to avoid prosecution for crimes against
humanity. He says it is a meaningful coincidence that the NATO planes
started bombing Serbia to stop the mass murder in Kosovo on March 24,
1999 was the day the British House of Lords decided to eliminate the
immunity of Chile's bloody dictator General Augusto Pinochet.
That day 15 years ago is the symbolic moment when the traditional
right of sovereignty, by both judicial and militaristic means, could
no longer stand in the way of the fight against such crimes. This was
followed by the first international crime investigation against a
sitting head of state and the start of the trial of Slobodan Milosevic
on October 12, 2001. The International Criminal Court was founded in
2002, authorized to prosecute crimes against humanity within its
jurisdiction.
The aim of the court is to answer the mass murders in the name of
humanity. Because, more often than not, either the legal system of the
countries where these crimes are committed is unsuitable to try them,
or the criminals have the power to challenge the law.
In fact, these are crimes the penal law are often unfamiliar with;
ones committed, encouraged or assisted by a political decision from a
ruling administration. Garapon states these crimes are committed by
making a part of the society, mostly a big part, partners in crime
with the support of the rule of law. And so it is not possible to
pursue these crimes with the traditional penal law methods - and gets
even more complicated if they were committed during a state of war.
Time to speak
The Allies of World War I have jointly declared the ethnic cleansing
committed against the Armenians by the Ottomans was `a crime against
humanity and civilization' on May 24, 1915. The concept of crimes
against humanity was first mentioned in relation to this event.
A great national alliance in Turkey has been at work since then to
leave this great crime undefined and the partners in crime
unprosecuted; if we do not count the parentheses opened and shortly
closed during the 1919 trials. There is a great coalition of silence
and cooperation formed to deny the great crime committed against the
Armenians; to leave it undebated, forgotten.
This is the seventh anniversary of the slaying of Hrant. In a few
months, it will be the 99th anniversary of the act that eliminated the
Armenians from these lands. Call it anything we want: crime against
humanity, Genocide, the great crime, the great disaster, the great
sin; we are talking about the same enormous crime in the end.
Is it not time for today's Republic of Turkey to declare its deep
sorrow for such a crime, and apologize to all Armenians after 100
years of silence?
And let us not forget: this great crime is not just a legacy of the
past. The same crimes are being committed today, right here. The ones
who defend the offenders are together keeping their silence alive. We
will not be a part of this by staying silent ourselves. For Hrant, for
justice.
http://www.worldcrunch.com/world-affairs/death-of-an-armenian-editor-crimes-of-turkish-history/hrant-dink-erdogan-assassination-akp-pinochet-milosevic/c1s14780/#.UuQiuz_8LIU