Nationalists Surface After Dinks Funeral

Thousands marched in assassinated Turkish-Armenian writer Hrant Dinks funeral. Nationalist and racist reaction rises following chanted slogans Were all Armenians. Debate on article 301 continues as five suspects get arrested on the case.

Erhan Üstündağ

Repercussions of the assassination of Turkish-Armenian writer Hrant Dink and his funeral, where hundreds of thousands of people gathered to condemn the killing, continue.

Dink was gunned down in front of the offices of his newspaper Agos on January 19.

The killing suspect was caught the following day and several people who were claimed to solicit the murder have been taken under custody.

Governor removed from office

The Black Sea port of Trabzon, the hometown of Dink killing suspect Ogun Samast continues to dominate the headlines last week.

Samast and four others were arrested on three different charges, including manslaughter, affiliation to an armed group and breach of armed weapons act last Thursday.

The prosecution didn't classify the murder as a terror act, which would result in heavier penalties for the convicts.

The government removed chief of police and the governor of the city for their lack of control over the rising politically motivated crimes by nationalists.

The Ministry of Internal Affairs also commissioned two inspectors to interrogate on administrative failures to prevent such crimes in the city.

An Italian priest was murdered in 2005 in Trabzon and members a leftist group, Solidarity Association of Prisoners' Families (TAYAD) faced public lynching several times in 2006 during street protests.

Nationalist reaction to Dink's funeral

The slogans voiced at Dink's funeral on January 23, "We're all Hrant, we're all Armenians" caused a stir in nationalist circles.

Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) vice chair Mehmet Sandır described the funeral as "an insult to the Turkish people and a daring challenge to the Turkish state". "We're all Turks and this is Turkey", he added.

Daily Tercuman's headliner read "We're all Turks" the day following.

Hurriyet newspaper conducted a survey regarding on its website where 463 thousand people participated and 47 percent voted to favor the slogan and 52 percent objected.

36 year old Nihat Acar kidnapped a ferry that run on the Dardanelles for three hours on Saturday night, in protest for the slogan "We're all Armenians". He was arrested as he gave in waving a Turkish flag.

During a first division football game played yesterday between Trabzonspor and Kayserispor, supporters chanted nationalist and racist slogans.

Threats continue

Nationalist and racist reactions are most evident and harsh on the Internet.

Agos newspaper received a bomb threat by e-mail, signed as Turkish Revenge Brigade (TİT), a notorious clandestine group responsible for several killings of leftist militants during 1980's.

Dink murder suspect Samast's friend and alleged sollicitor of the killing Yasin Hayal threathened writer Orhan Pamuk as he was taken under custody.

Article 301 debates

On another account, NGO's and activists continue to voice their requests for the abolition of the article 301 of the Penal Code, which defines a charge of "insulting Turkishness", punishable by prison sentences.

Lastly, a local journalist from Sinop filed a complaint on article 301 for those who attended Dink's funeral.

Hrant Dink was condemned to a deferred 6 months prison sentence in relation to this article. Numerous journalists and writers -including 2006 Nobel Literature laureate Orhan Pamuk- also stood trial on this article.

The government hinted a possible reform on the article but commentators say it's not likely to realize given the general elections in November this year.

Such a change would harm nationalist votes, they claim as the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) stands by the existing article.

CHP leader Deniz Baykal as well as popular columnists like Emin Colasan say that the removal of the article would excuse treasonous comments and insulting the Turkish state.(EÜ)