‘Attacks are Not Isolated, Another Threatening Message Sent to Hrant Dink Foundation’

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Fethiye Çetin, an attorney of Hrant Dink Foundation, has spoken to bianet about the death threats against the foundation and Rakel Dink, the wife of late journalist Hrant Dink. Indicating that another threatening message was sent to the foundation last night (May 31), Çetin has noted that the attacks and messages have increased in the recent period.

Contrary to what the authorities have been stating, the threatening messages sent to the foundation are not isolated incidents, Çetin has underlined and raised concerns that in terms of their content, these messages are similar to the ones sent before Hrant Dink was assassinated.

'Threats similar to the ones before Dink was killed'

"The conjecture and the conditions that we live in are almost the same as the ones before the murder," Çetin has said. Welcoming the the arrest of the assaulter who sent the message, Çetin has stated the following:

"On the day when the assaulter was caught, when he had not yet been brought to İstanbul, where the investigation was being conducted, he was not interrogated by the prosecutor and his links had not yet been inquired, the authorities made a statement and announced that 'no links had been identified with an organization.' This statement is similar to that of Celalettin Cerrah, the then Security Director, who spoke shortly after Hrant Dink was murdered and said that 'there was no organization.'

"These statements apparently do not mean anything other than serving the purpose of closing the investigation. The act of the suspect is not isolated or individual. The threat that we got, 'We may turn up one night, when you least expect it', was also used at the time of Hrant Dink murder.

'What does the foundation have to do with Karabakh?'

"When the language, discourse, style and aims of the emails and social media posts of the suspect are closely inspected, it can be seen that they have something in common with a particular group. The slogans, symbols and pseudonyms used by this group are always the same. All correspondence and posts of the suspect have to be effectively investigated.

"Moreover, if the news reported in the press are true and this emphasis on an Azerbaijani girlfriend is not an attempt to tabloidize the issue, it needs to be inquired in further detail, this girlfriend needs to be found and added to the investigation and the investigation has to be extended. The Azerbaijani girlfriend may have influenced the suspect about Karabakh, but what can Hrant Dink Foundation, Rakel Dink and attorneys have to do with Karabakh?

'We have received a new threat'

"Yet another indication of the fact that these attacks are not isolated is that the attacks still continue. A new threatening email was sent to the email address of the foundation last night.

"Assaulters have found this courage from the increasingly polarizing, marginalizing and othering hate speeches and from impunity, which has almost become a norm now.

"Unfortunately, the statements of power-holders have also been fuelling such attacks and hate speeches. These attacks are just a reflection of the language of hatred used by politicians.

"Because the statements of politicians encourage the assaulters and give them the impression of 'state will protect us, we will get away with it.' The shield of impunity has almost turned into a norm now.

"This conjecture and the environment where we live are so full of racism and hatred that it makes us harder to breathe.

"The society of Turkey cannot face up to these attacks. Our history is full of great sorrows and crimes. Only when we face up to these sorrows can we start to be free from them, only then can we start to heal. It will be hard, it will hurt, but if we do not do this, we - as a society - will be driven to collapse.

"I call on the authorities to change their language and tone, open the channels of dialogue and abandon any behavior that will encourage the assaulters and impunity."

What happened?

On May 29, Hrant Dink Foundation released a written statement for the press and announced that Rakel Dink, the wife of late journalist Hrant Dink, and the attorneys of the foundation received death threats via email on May 27 and 28. The foundation indicated that it notified Şişli District Security Directorate and İstanbul Governor's Office of the threats.

"The email included the phrase 'We may turn up one night, when you least expect it', a slogan used boastfully in certain circles, and the very same slogan we were well used to hearing before Hrant Dink was so publicly assassinated, and with the knowledge of official bodies, on 19 January 2007. The threat accuses the Hrant Dink Foundation of telling 'tales of fraternity', demands us to leave the country and threatens Rakel Dink and the foundation's lawyer with death," the statement read.

The foundation also noted that the recently increasing racist and discriminatory discourse would encourage and instigate such threats.
Süleyman Soylu, the Minister of Interior, made a brief statement about the issue on his Twitter account one day later, on May 30, and announced that the suspect who sent the threatening mails in question was caught. "We will not let provocation. Trust the Turkish Police," he said.

Later in the day, it was announced that H.A. (25) was taken into custody in the district of Selçuk in Turkey's central anatolian province of Konya.

Taken to İstanbul by the Security Department teams, H.A. has been arrested on charge of "repetitive threat with anonymous letters or special signs." (HA/SD)