Cyprus-Forum.com

[bill cobbett]

Amnesty has condemned the investigation in to the murder of the journalist Hrant Dink. Specifically it claims that Turkey has failed to investigate the role of state officials in the murder.

First few lines from the Amnesty press release...

The Turkish authorities have failed to address state officials' alleged involvement in the killing of journalist and human rights activist Hrant Dink, Amnesty International said today, as the trial of 18 people accused of his murder drew to a close.

Hrant Dink, a Turkish citizen of Armenian descent, was killed on 19 January 2007 outside the offices of the Agos newspaper where he was the editor.

When the trial ends on Tuesday, almost five years to the day after the death of Hrant Dink, the authorities will still not have investigated the full circumstances behind his murder.

"Hrant Dink was murdered for peacefully expressing his opinions," said Andrew Gardner Amnesty International’s expert on Turkey.

More at... http://www.amnesty.org/en/news/turkey-f ... 2012-01-16

[bill cobbett]

Human Rights Watch has joined Amnesty in condemning the cover-up of state involvement by Turkey in the murder of Hrant Dink...

A Turkish court’s verdict on January 17, 2012, that there was no state involvement or organized plot behind the 2007 shooting of the Turkish Armenian journalist Hrant Dink is a travesty of justice, Human Rights Watch said today.

“The Istanbul court’s denial of the plot behind Hrant Dink’s murder flies in the face of evidence,” said Emma Sinclair-Webb, Turkey researcher at Human Rights Watch. “Five years after the killing, Turkey’s criminal justice system remains unwilling to probe state collusion in political assassinations,”


Much more at... http://www.hrw.org/news/2012/01/18/turk ... -s-killers

[bill cobbett]

Reports of a mass rally in Istanbul to protest the lack of a proper investigation into state involvement in Hrint Dink's murder.

CNR reports ...

Tens of thousands of Turkish citizens are marching today to protest a decision by an Istanbul court to absolve the state of any responsibility in the murder of Hrant Dink in 2007. The decision contradicts the European Court of Human Rights judgment fining Turkey 133,000 euros and ruling that the state failed to protect Dink's life.

More at ... http://www.cyprusnewsreport.com/?q=node/5186

[Cap]

lack of a proper investigation into Terrorist state involvement in Hrint Dink's murder

And this is surprising how?

[Get Real!]

For a country that almost single-handedly preoccupies HR organizations throughout the year and hardly a month goes by without some sort of international fallout, what on earth is the EU doing still evaluating these backward peasants for membership?

[bill cobbett]

Yes indeed GR... and it's a situation that is getting worse and worse with more and more journos and Kurd politicians being thrown in to jail in the past few months, often on the pretext of terrorism charges and in some cases no charges at all.

... but back to the matter of Hrint Dink, the BBC is reporting on the protests in Istanbul on the cover-up of state involvement...

The protesters are saying... "We are all Hrant, We are all Armenians".

At least 20,000 people have marched in Istanbul to mark five years since the murder of prominent Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink.

Some of the demonstrators were driven by anger over verdicts delivered this week in the latest trial of people linked to his killing.

Three people were jailed but allegations of official negligence or state collusion were rejected.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-16632890

[bill cobbett]

The CoE Human Rights Commissioner of the Council of Europe Thomas Hammarberg has joined in condemning the lack of thoroughness in the trial of the murderers of the journalist Hrink Dink.

Reported in Today's Zaman...

Thomas Hammarberg stated in İstanbul on Friday that he was “shocked” by the court’s decision to acquit all 19 suspects of membership in a terrorist organization in the 2007 murder of Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink. Only one suspect received a life sentence.