‘Some people at the very top winked, those at the very bottom shot’

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Today marks the 14th year since journalist Hrant Dink, the founder and editor-in-chief of Agos newspaper, was killed in a racist murder in the middle of İstanbul on January 19, 2007.

14 years have passed since then and Hrant Dink has become a symbol of Turkey's justice system, but justice has not been served for him.

Lawsuits have been filed and closed in these 14 years. The murder case has still not been finalized despite the years that have passed. In fact, the 123rd hearing of the trial of public officials will be held tomorrow. Though the end of the trial, where the defendants have been making their defense as to the accusations, is near, the real responsible parties for the murder are still a big question mark.

We have spoken with one of Hrant's Friends, journalist, writer and director Ümit Kıvanç about the 14 years that have passed, the court case, hearings, the search for justice and the attitude of Turkey...

'Police wore white cap on a January 19'

You were a person who was working with Hrant Dink and perhaps one of the people who knew him best in this process. What do the 14 years that have passed since then mean to you?

Let's not call it "knowing best", but say "a person close to him." There are, no doubt, people who know him better than I do. What characterizes my relationship with him is that I had been with him since the very first moment of Agos, that we had understood and loved each other by arguing, hueing and crying very often, but doing this by producing something. Just think about it: We started arguing while designing the logo of Agos!

The time that has passed since then, unfortunately, does not mean much to me after some point. When Hrant was shot, my relationship with not only the country, state or society, but with my life thus far has changed. I do not expect much anymore, for instance. I have come to understand the reality of here much more clearly. I can say that someting has completely ended, especially after the National Intelligence Organization (MİT) sent a document to court, indicating that "it did not have any information about the murder." If you say, "But, you are still waging a struggle for justice", I ask you, "What else can I do?". They killed our friend, they showed us the ones who gave the orders would not be touched and the ones who managed the organization of the assassination would be touched without being hurt. On a January 19, police officers wore white caps, as if it was not enough that the murderer was backed at Trabzonspor bleachers! What can we do in the face of this? We can only wage a struggle for justice that is not limited to Hrant. Yes, the neighborhood is on fire and we are carrying water in a thimble cap, but, at least, which side we are on becomes clear, as the saying goes...

People shedding tears in silence

From January 19, 2007 to January 19, 2021... It is the first time that a commemoration ceremony will not be held in front of Agos newspaper, but on the screens. While thousands of people used to gather in front of Agos on every January 19, we have watched how this crowd has thinned out over the years. Do you think that the interest has waned?

We are in Turkey, after all. New disasters happen every year. A sorrow turns into the memory of that sorrow quite fast. It is normal that people's interests and reactions concentrate on other things in time. But I do not agree with what you say; the crowds sometimes thinned out, sometimes grew.

What needs to be problematized here is the limited interest of the people who would be expected to concern themselves with the assassination at first hand, considering their political standing. We sometimes had to go to some left-opposition circles to invite them to the commemoration ceremony with special requests. Think about the indifference of the Republican People's Party (CHP) to the issue... There are, unfortunately, a lot of people who supposedly demand democracy, human rights, etc., but do not care about the assassination of Hrant Dink.

Apart from this, there are a lot of people who attend the commemorations held for Hrant by themselves, who do not try to make their own slogans heard when they get there and who shed tears in silence. People always showed interest for various events that we organized from time to time.

Let's not forget this: Hrant is an Armenian after all and the political movements that can deal with the debates to be caused by laying claim to him do not constitute even one percent of Turkey's politics.

'Those who said "We will do it again" still in power'

Then, why do you think that the commemorations held on January 19 still have a social significance? Why do you think the people who come to the commemoration even 14 years after the murder do so?

With fidelity, with a desire for justice and, above all else, for conscientious reasons, seeing it as a duty to Hrant and his family, who were subjected to grave brutality and unlawfulness... These people embody the essential basis of the politics in this country as well as its source which leads to the current situation in case of its absence.

Do you think that Turkey has managed to face the hate crime that killed Hrant Dink? How has the murder been reflected on society?

Facing the murder? If it was not you asking the question, I would say, "Is that a joke or something?" Let alone facing the murder, it has made it an unalterable article of the established political culture that there is no need to face it and the ones who want to face it are traitors, etc. As both societies - as you know, there is not one, but two societies, living here in the form of siblings as enemies - made efforts to ensure that nothing would be reflected on them, they did not have to bear the moral burden of this murder. The response given to Hrant Dink's assassination is that the ones who said "We did it, we will do it again!" are still in power and that they have made a much larger mass of people think like themselves.

'A proper investigation was needed for a real trial'

After the murder, the perpetrators were caught first, then the murder was associated with the "Ergenekon" and, after the coup attempt on July 15, 2016, it was said that Hrant Dink murder was planned by the FETÖ. Who killed Hrant Dink?

All of them. They all did it together. Some state officials, considering that it was a routine task of the state, participated in it automatically. As what Gülenists did has destroyed the last bits and pieces of common sense in people, there now prevails a nonsense that the dark structure symbolized as "Ergenekon" has never existed. There is, of course, an intrastate and extrajudicial organization or even organizations and they have so far committed so many murders, organized so many massacres or paved the way for those who would do them.

When Hrant Dink murder is considered, we know that Gülenists, especially the then Security Director of Intelligence, played an important role. But there are also some characters that do not fit the nature of things when they come together. Above all else, the Court of Cassation declared Hrant an "enemy of Turks" and threw him to the murderers for the exact opposite of what he had written. The Court of Cassation of the time was not Gülenist, I suppose. Where does the Justice and Development Party (AKP) stand? I do not think that they participated in the murder. But, later, we do not know whether they think of using it as a trump by protecting the ones who did it or putting aside this protection-lookout as a ground for today's alliances. But there is something that is certain: Some people at the very top winked; the ones at various positions in between gave an order, approved it, turned a blind eye to it or supported it; and those at the very bottom shot him.

This is also certain: Everything is known within the state; if they want it, it will be disclosed.

"Perpetrators" have not been caught. For the trial still heard today, we could have perhaps said that "some perpetrators are standing trial", but we cannot say it, either, they are not being tried in the real sense of the term. A proper investigation should have been conducted for a real trial. No one wants to come to the point where a proper investigation will lead us to, especially in the public eye. Because, then, it will be necessary to investigate whether the notification of the General Staff and the ruling of the Court of Cassation set the process of murder into motion or not.

'What is done is to diversify, spread the show'

The trial of public officials is coming to and end now. Defendants have been presenting their statements of defense as to the accusations. Over 120 hearings have been held so far and the court board has changed for three times. Lastly, with the appointment of Akın Gürlek as the Presiding Judge, the file that was proceeding rather slowly has suddenly come to an end. What is the reason for that? Do you think that a wholesome trial has been held?

What is done here is to diversify and spread the show. The first case that did not involve the public officials was a show; this can perhaps be considered a radio theater or TV series, considering its diversity of characters, duration, etc. To be honest, we do not even care. The entire case was based on the idea of putting the blame on Gülenists and it was soon understood that it would not be possible, others would be involved when a few steps were taken in the name of investigation and several people who got involved in the government of the time or the government of today in one way or another would have to stand before the court when it was taken together with the attempts of spoliation-distortion.

Doesn't this simple question explain everything: Who told the police and gendarmerie officers standing trial today to do this? Who gave the order? Why would the Trabzon gendarmerie commander colonel want Hrant to be killed? Why would a man at the very top of the Security Intelligence organize a murder? Who gave those orders and instructions? A trial that does not ask this question cannot be called a trial. Besides, the investigation does not proceed as it is supposed to proceed in this trial.

'We are a society disgusted at equity'

When do you think justice will be served for Hrant Dink and for those walking alongside him?

It will not. The number and power of the ones who demand justice in Turkey do not suffice to ensure that justice is served. Because not only the fascistic government but a large part of the opposition does not long for the notion of justice, which it already lives light years away, especially when it comes to the killing of an Armenian.

Let's just remember one thing: Sevag Balıkçı, a young Armenian, was killed while doing his military service; let me repeat it: He was killed while doing his military service. Apart from conscientious objectors, we all did military service; if two privates have a row, they give them hell. In this incident, a young man fired the rifle and killed another young person under the protection of the state and in official uniform. What happened? Which opposition circles, parties, associations, organizations followed up this issue? Whose conscience rose up?

In our current situation, apart from a very few exceptions, we are a society disgusted at justice and equity, with believers and non-believers, power-holders and opposition alike. What justice?

Ümit Kıvanç's documentary "From January 19 to January 19":

(HA/SD)