Dink Family Calls on Ministers to Implement ECHR Decision

The family of slain journalist Hrant Dink addressed the Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu, the Minister of the Interior, Beşir Atalay, and the Minister of Justice, Sadullah Ergin, with their written request to enforce the decision of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) regarding the murder of Hrant Dink. The decision was finalized on 14 December 2010.

Turkish-Armenian journalist Dink, then Chief Editor of the Armenian Agos newspaper, was shot dead in front of the Agos office on 19 January 2007.

"Mentality needs to change to prevent further violations"

The Dink family called on the state institutions and the judicial offices to fulfill their duty imposed by the ECHR decision. The international court decided for a violation of rights related to the Dink case. The Dink family also demanded to take the necessary measures to prevent further violations.

It was emphasized in the letter that a reiteration of the violations should be prevented by changing the attitude and the structure that emerged from the violations. It was said that the violations should be eliminated completely.

The letter dated 28 January 2011 was written on behalf of Dink's widow Rakel Dink, their children Delal, Arat and Sera Dink, Hosrof Dink as the brother of the killed journalist and family lawyer Fethiye Çetin. The letter claimed that the judiciary system, the concept of judiciary and its practices should be reviewed in order to prevent the reiteration of the violations of duty within state organs and during the investigation of the assassination.

"Legal instruments of new investigations should be researched"

The Dink family demanded to investigate the people who did not fulfill their legal responsibility when they failed to take precautionary measures although they had information about the murder of Hrant Dink. Additionally, they demanded an investigation by the prosecution into the destruction, concealing and changing of evidence and also into the connections between the defendants and the persons responsible for treating the alleged prime suspect of the murder like a hero.

The family of the killed Turkish-Armenian journalist said that the entire investigations carried out by the Trabzon prosecution which resulted in impunity should be retried. However, they demanded that this should be conducted directly by the prosecutors who investigated the Hrant Dink murder and not within the scope of Law No. 4483 which was determined not to be an effective way of investigation by the ECHR decision.

Moreover, it was requested to investigate the inactivity of the public officials regarding the failed prevention of the Dink murder and the actuality of evidence for the murder being concealed under Articles 314, 39, 220, 204 and 83 of the Turkish Criminal Law (TCK) and Article 8/2 of the Criminal Procedural Law (CMK).

Effective and in-depth investigation

The Dink family called for an effective and in-depth research to determine what happened after the murder. They also urged for a clarification whether the murder had a racist background or not.

"It has to be confirmed whether the murder was motivated by racism and whether prejudice based on ethnic origins played a role. Therefore, prosecutors should be appointed that will investigate from one central point the periods of time prior and subsequent to the murder under this aspect".

It was also emphasized that attention should be drawn to the opinions held by the Turkish judiciary considering the ECHR's decision for a violation of freedom of expression of Hrant Dink prior to his death. The Dink family stressed that obstacles before freedom of expression should be lifted and that positive measures should be taken to protect individuals from potential attacks on freedom of expression. (EG/EÖ/VK)