26 01 2007 - Those who love Turkey will be carrying his coffin on their shoulders.

REAL MURDERERS OF HRANT" <BR>
Mehmet Ali Birand - Turkish Daily News - Tuesday, January 23, 2007<BR>
Today is Hrant Dink's day.
Today we will be marching for him. Those who love Turkey will be carrying his coffin on their shoulders.
However, we still cannot be exonerated. We can neither bring Hrant back nor restore Turkey's reputation.
The young man whose finger pulled the trigger in Hrant's murder has been captured.
However, the real murderer will again go scot-free.
We are the real murderers of Hrant.
We have nourished our murderers in a mindset and against a backdrop shaped by Article 301 of the Turkish Penal Code (TCK). We have handed them the guns.
All those responsible are still among us. What is worse, some of them appear on television broadcasts and go on and on about how sorry they feel.
And how about those who abide strictly by Article 301, just because it is “written” even while there is still debate over it? How about those who have filed complaint upon complaint against Dink, basing their claims on Article 301?
How about those public prosecutors who have taken these illogical complaints seriously and have decided to proceed, saying, “I would like to get rid of the responsibility so I will file a suit and let the court decide?”
And how about the judges who accepted these legal cases, only to interpret Article 301 in the most restricted fashion possible so as to convict Hrant?
What about them?
We are all responsible. The list is very long.
Those who massed at courts, rushed, cursed and even took a punch at people like Dink, chanting, “We want our democratic rights…”
Those who raid Armenian conferences, ruin exhibitions…
Please tell me if I am wrong…
Are we not rough as a society?
We especially belittle our minorities. We do not consider our citizens of diverse ethnic groups as one of our own. We hate different points of view. We do not like discussions. We are all too ready to employ violence to impose our views. We become rude. We lash out when we are angry.
Is it not true?
This is the reason why we have all killed Hrant…
This is the reason why Article 301 killed Hrant…
This is the reason why, if we would like to make a change as a society, we need to change Article 301.
This is the only way we can ask for Hrant Dink's forgiveness.

Images of Hrant Dink's burial at the Links section of our e-magazine.

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