Statement On the Case of Hrant Dink delivered by Ambassador Arman Kirakossian at the 1086th Meeting of the OSCE Permanent Council

21 January, 2016

Mr. Chairperson,

January 19^th marks the 9^th anniversary of the assassination of Hrant Dink, prominent Armenian-Turkish intellectual, chief editor of the Armenian newspaper Agos.

The recent press-release of the Representative on Freedom of the Media, Mrs. Dunja Mijatovic on this case states “I remain hopeful that recent developments in the trial will help bring the masterminds behind the murder to justice. Exposing the masterminds would also demonstrate to the entire society the importance of freedom of expression, and the continued need to fight violence against journalists”.

My Delegation shares the expectations voiced out by the Representative on Freedom of the Media.

It should be recalled that the Delegation of Armenia has regularly raised this issue at the Permanent Council throughout last years. In response, we had been advised by the Turkish Delegation to wait for the results of legal proceedings.

Armenia is a staunch advocate of freedom of media and safety of journalists and human rights defenders. We firmly believe that failure to address intimidation, violence and killing of journalists, community leaders, and intellectuals creates a climate of impunity, thus encouraging intolerance towards any idea which runs counter to official narratives.

The recent reaction of the Turkish Government against the peaceful action of the prominent Turkish intellectuals, who dared to raise their voice in defence of the wide part of Turkey’s society, under the 301 article of the Turkish Penal Code, which was used to convict and stigmatize Hrant Dink, is a further case in point.

We are pleased to note that a large portion of the Turkish society once again gathered in rallies also calling to bring to justice all masterminds of the Hrant Dink assassination. We call upon the Turkish authorities to properly address these calls.

Thank You.

MFA RA
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