Dear —
Thank you for your comments. The question of whether the mass killings
of Armenians during World War I amounted to genocide is hotly debated
internationally. That is why we put “genocide” in inverted commas. The
Turkish state admits that hundreds of thousands of Armenians were killed
in 1915 in widespread fighting on the eastern front. But it disputes the
genocide charge, and the suggestion that the death toll was well over a
million.
Regards, L Peter, Europe desk.
—
To which I responded:

Dear L. Peter,

Thank you for the response. You might choose not to follow up on this reply, and that is perfectly understandable. However, I will comment on your response, and have the moral and ethical duty to challenge your assertions.

There is no international debate on the Armenian Genocide/Holocaust. The question has been sealed in historians’ and scholars’ circles (I will leave the task of investigation of history to you and your staff, who have the duty, I would like to think, of investigating before using such terminology as I referred to), whereas politicians continue to use this issue to rally people to vote for their parties, on this or that side of the so-called “[hot] debate”. However, even in the political realm, the Armenian Genocide/Holocaust has been recognized by a number of countries, quite a few of them in Europe, and there are laws in place which would make denial of the Genocide a crime that would be punished by fines. I find your “international debate” argument rather odd, as I cannot imagine anyone advocating the placement of the WWII Holocaust in inverted commas, should it ever become “hotly debated” (in fact, in many areas of the world, it has been and continues to be, although the ones mounting the challenge to the historical “narrative” are discredited as anti-Semites, and rightly so). I find it odd that any questioning of the WWII Holocaust would be dealt with in the context of blasphemy and racism and anti-Semitism, whereas BBC actively espouses an entirely different set of standards on the issue of the Armenian Genocide/Holocaust. If you have not noticed the moral lapse between your coverage of the WWII Holocaust and the Armenian Holocaust, I would recommend that you take a look at the article by Frances Harrison, titled “Where Holocaust denial is welcomed”, dated Dec. 16, 2006.

Moreover, your response fails to address the term “alleged”, which was used to refer to the “mass killings” that you choose not to refer to as genocide, as it is allegedly “hotly debated”. I quote the entire paragraph:

“His articles about the alleged mass killings of Armenians by Turks at the beginning of the 20th century had sparked huge controversy in the country on a number of occasions.”

Since you claim that the Turkish state admits that there were indeed mass killings of Armenians, but only challenges the issue of intent to commit genocide, how can you explain the above-quoted sentence? Lest I cause any unncessary discomfort or embarrassment, I should clarify that the question is strictly rhetorical, and I do not demand any further clarification; in this context, I would like to pose yet another question, which you also needn’t answer: would BBC have used the same terminology had the German state (somehow) refused to recognize the WWII Holocaust from the onset? Would the politicization of the non-recognition of the mass-murder industry have been taken for granted and reported without being questioned? Would the WWII Holocaust have become a “hotly debated” issue “internationally”? More importantly, would it have ceased to be a Holocaust, and would BBC have been justified in using inverted commas to refer to it? Would the respectable BBC staff, yourself included, have even imagined such a possibility, let alone practiced it? Does the growing trend of WWII Holocaust denial in the Middle East and arguably also in Europe make the WWII Holocaust “hotly debated” (if not, why not), and most importantly, who makes the ultimate decision as to which millions of people have a valid opinion and are therefore “hotly debat[ing]” the issue, and which millions do not have a valid opinion and must be ignored? Also rhetorical, so feel free to ignore.

I am also aware that the drawing of comparisons between the [Jewish] Holocaust (which I refer to as the WWII Holocaust, as the victims were not solely Jewish, and the non-Jewish human beings also deserve a mention) and any other holocaust, let alone the “Armenian tragedies” as Shimon Peres once referred to it, is not very popular, especially so amongst those who distinguish between some mass-killings and others. I assure you and the respectable BBC staff, that I intend no such thing in drawing comparisons. After all, some sufferings are “unique”, and others are… simply “hotly debated” mass-killings.

I look forward to the day the Armenian Holocaust would no longer be hotly debated, and will welcome the decision of the BBC to abide by the conclusions of this debate, whatever they may be. Until that day comes, I realize that there is the urgent need and moral duty to preserve the uniqueness of the suffering of some people. I suppose that was the death will of the victims of the Nazi regime, namely, to deny and diminish the suffering of human beings for political, national, racial, or other interests. After all, in a world of politics and nationalist rhetoric and agendas, it is easier to dehumanize than to humanize.

My respects,

–

i don’t care if you believe it or not but after 1 hour thousands of people were on the scene with photos and flowers & candles and stuff, after 8 hours there was an emergent mass protest with over 10.000 people. frankly i’ve never seen people gather like this before. it was a huge reaction.

Yes the state had to protect him and it’s totally responsible for this and the media is too because they have been letting this nationalist tendency to go on, but people in turkey (istanbul at least) are terribly sick of this stuff too.

the killer is a guy from trabzon from the east of the blacksea region, unemployed and uneducated, he has come in istanbul 3 days ago , the governor of Istanbul just said on TV. it’s such a shame that Hirant Dink is that but everyone is just as sad as the rest of the world , apart from this goddamn ultra-nationalist Turks & Armenians who never see their wrongs.

now the killer has been caught a few hours ago and he’s an 17 year old uneducated unemployed bastard. Hirant Dink was truly an honest man and a humanist, and there’s lots of people in Istanbul like me, who are going to attend his funeral, i know these might seem to you like crocodile tears, but believe me there are lots of people who are against fascism & anti democratism in turkey, who are educated, who want to integrate with the world, who want to resolve the feud between turkey & armenia / cyprus whatever..

but the nationalist tendency is also on the rise, media is angry with EU and media’s stupid lies * and some nationalist propaganda makes uneducated people do unbelievable stuff like this. The most disgusting thing is the ultra-nationalists are now saying that they haven’t done it, but the guy who was caught seems to be a nationalist. I don’t know what to say, I’ve been crying and fighting online with these scum for the last 2 days, he was truly a loveable figure and we lost him.

Nationalism is a virus and this is once again gonna hurt the peacemongers among both sides

I wrote a letter of complaint to the BBC yesterday:

Dear Sir or Madam:

I am writing this complaint letter regarding the obituary to Hrant Dink, and more generally regarding the BBC’s coverage of the Armenian Genocide/Holocaust. The BBC has, on numerous occasions, referred to the Armenian Genocide - a historical fact recognized by hundreds of prominent historians and holocaust scholars - in terms that can only be deemed offensive both to descendents of survivors of the Armenian Genocide/Holocaust, and more generally the humanitarian and moral values of people around the world. I had hoped that the BBC, as a prestigious journalistic source would espouse a humanitarian and historical perspective, rather than a political one; the pursuit of unbiased reporting cannot overshadow the duty to point to war crimes and genocidal campaigns, however much governments attempt to utilize the issue of recognition in pursuit of political agendas and interests. In as much as this letter is a complaint, it is also an expression of my disappointment with the BBC’s policy on the terminology used to refer to the Armenian Genocide/Holocaust, which has often been placed in quotations, or preceded by the term “alleged”.

I would like to receive a clarification as to why such debasing and - one could argue - denialist or revisionist terminology has been and continues to be adopted as official policy by the BBC, and in what way the Armenian Genocide/Holocaust differs in this regard from the Holocaust of Jews, Gypsies, and other peoples in WWII, and in other times and places. Does the existence of other, opposing narratives that attempt to cast doubt on genocides, automatically mean that both parties should be given the same moral platform, and should this be the case, would it not also entail that the claims of “revisionists” of the WWII Holocaust would have to be given as much credence as those of historians who affirm that this particular inhumane, genocidal campaign has taken place? If not, one can only wonder, are some “allegations” more valid than others, and if so, what are the BBC’s standards for issuing verdicts in the comparative face-off of genocides/holocausts?

I look forward to reading your explanations and responses to my questions, and hope that the BBC would change its policy on the terminology it uses, because it has not only the journalistic duty, but also - I would like to think - the moral duty to do so.

Sincerely,

—

Thousands of people have rallied in Istanbul to protest at the murder of a prominent Turkish-Armenian journalist, Hrant Dink, outside his office. Video of the rally here The protest and solidarity march was attended by various organizations including D…

Regarding the timing, no doubt nationalists wanted to derail democratization in Turkey and also hit out at Armenians.

But does that excuse anything?

Moreover, one question needs to be answered. If Dink reported threats on his life, why weren’t the Turkish police keeping an eye on him?

The matter is that Turkey doesn’t need this murder, but arguably, it could have prevented it.

Makes sense?

http://www.turkdiaspora.org/?c=118&a=1116
http://turkdiaspora.org/data/head.jpg

Today in Turkey, Hrant Dink was shot dead by an unknown assassin.

Hrant was well known for his outspoken views on the Armenian Genocide and was constantly being harassed by the Turkish Government for his “insulting Turkishness.”

Though I never had a chance to meet Hrant, my parents knew him as he was an admirer of my grandfather Shahan Natalie.

All I can say is that though my efforts have been more on nation building and not Armenian Genocide recognition, these kinds of senseless killings motivate one to look closer to and work towards ascertaining the recognition we deserve so such senseless violent acts will no longer happen.

[…]

The punk and those like him or her who killed Hrant or think killing us will change things is only shooting themselves in the foot, as we will not give pursuing our claims and in the end the only one to loose will be YOU!!!

Hrant, you will be remembered for all you did for our people and we will all be thinking of you when Turkey finally and officially recognizes the Genocide of our people.

COMMUNIQUE DE PRESSE
pour diffusion immédiate
19 janvier 2007
Contact : Varténie ECHO
Tel. / Fax. : +32 (0) 2 732 70 27

LA TURQUIE ASSASSINE HRANT DINK

Hrant Dink, le rédacteur en chef d’Agos, journal arménien de Turquie, vient d’être assassiné devant les locaux de son quotidien. Les circonstances du crime ne sont pas encore élucidées mais on sait qu’au moins une personne – en fuite – est impliquée. M. Dink a été atteint de deux balles dans la tête, deux dans l’abdomen et six douilles ont été retrouvées à proximité.

Hrant Dink s’était fait connaître par les critiques modérées qu’il avait formulées envers son pays, notamment en raison du traitement des minorités et de la liberté d’expression en Turquie. Il était perçu en Occident comme un partisan de la modernisation et de l’européanisation de son pays.

« Nous sommes bouleversés et horrifiés par cette intolérable mise à mort » a déclaré Hilda Tchoboian la présidente de la Fédération Euro-Arménienne.

« Quand on éduque sa population à la haine de l’autre, quand depuis plus d’un siècle on enseigne aux enfants la supériorité de la race turque, quand jusqu’aujourd’hui on autorise et on honore les formations d’extrême-droite sur son territoire, alors on ne peut s’étonner que de tels actes viennent ainsi cibler un Arménien. Cet assassinat ignoble prouve une fois encore que la racisme a des racines profondes en Turquie » a poursuivi la présidente de la Fédération Euro-Arménienne.

La Fédération remarque que parmi la dizaine de « dissidents » à la ligne étatique de la Turquie, c’est précisément celui d’origine arménienne qui a fait l’objet de ce meurtre. Elle considère que, quelles que soient les circonstances que l’enquête établira, l’Etat turc porte une responsabilité écrasante dans cet assassinat. Elle condamne ces autorités pour leur incapacité à assumer la sécurité des journalistes et des intellectuels.

« Cet acte délibéré vise à maintenir la communauté arménienne dans un climat de terreur afin de bien montrer à tous qu’il est des lignes à ne pas franchir en matière de liberté d’expression et d’affirmation du génocide des Arméniens » a ajouté Hilda Tchoboian.

« Toute tentative de capitalisation politique que le gouvernement turc pourrait être amené à échafauder afin de promouvoir une image libérale à travers des manifestations de sympathie publique ne pourrait que constituer la marque de son cynisme. Les autorités d’Ankara seraient bien avisées de s’abstenir de telles démarches opportunistes qui seraient interprétées négativement en Europe » a conclu la présidente de la Fédération Euro-Arménienne.

####

———————————————————–

Turkish-Armenian Editor Shot Dead In Istanbul

Reuters, RFE/RL, dpa, AFP

Hrant Dink, a high-profile Turkish-Armenian editor convicted of insulting Turkey’s identity, was shot dead outside his newspaper office in Istanbul on Friday.

Dink, a frequent target of nationalist anger for his comments on the mass killings of Armenians by Ottoman Turks during World War One, was shot as he left his weekly “Agos” around 1300 GMT in central Istanbul.

“A bullet has been fired at democracy and freedom of expression. I condemn the traitorous hands behind this disgraceful murder,” Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan said. “This was an attack on our peace and stability.” Erdogan told a hastily called news conference in Ankara that two people were detained in connection with the murder.

The attack provoked widespread international condemnation, with the European Union urging Turkish authorities to fully investigate the “brutal act of violence.” Dink was “a campaigner for freedom of expression in Turkey,” EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn said in a statement. “I trust that the Turkish authorities will fully investigate this crime and will bring the perpetrators to justice,” Rehn stressed.

The United States was also quick to express concern. “Clearly this is a tragic incident,” State Department deputy spokesman Tom Casey told reporters. Casey said that while he has no information on who was responsible and Turkish authorities are still investigating the shooting, Dink’s slaying “does raise some concerns” for the United States. “This was an individual who had received threats for his writing,” he said.

In Yerevan, Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian said Armenia, which Dink visited regularly, is “deeply shocked” by the news of the assassination. “We categorically condemn this act, regardless of the circumstances, and call on the Turkish authorities indeed to do everything to identify those responsible,” Oskanian said in a statement.

[…]

NTV television said Dink was shot three times in the head and neck. Muharrem Gozutok, a restaurant owner near the newspaper, said the assailant looked about 20, wore jeans and a cap and shouted “I shot the non-Muslim” as he left the scene.

Protesters outside the “Agos” office on one of Istanbul’s busiest streets chanted “the murderer government will pay” and “shoulder-to-shoulder against fascism”. Television footage showed Dink’s body lying in the street covered by a white sheet, with hundreds of bystanders gathering behind a police cordon. “This bullet was fired against Turkey … an image has been created about Turkey that its Armenian citizens have no safety,” said CNN Turk editor Taha Akyol.

“My blood is frozen,” Rober Hadejian, editor of Istanbul’s Armenian-language daily “Marmara” told RFE/RL by phone. “The killing of our colleague is a blow to all of us … Our pain is immense.”

“We have just heard the news and are absolutely shocked,” said Sevan Diminjian of “Zhamanak,” another Turkish-Armenian daily.

[…]

“Hrant was a perfect target for those who want to obstruct Turkey’s democratization and its path towards the European Union,” “Agos” writer Aydin Engin told Reuters.

[…]

The killer suggested that 18-19 years old. Police held 2 young people around Taksim area.
Right now, In Istanbul, Taksim area people are gathering to PROTEST KILLING.
Left wing parties, militant and activists took street of Istanbul…

They are chatting as
LONG LIVE BROTHERSHIP OF THE PEOPLE.

STATE IS THE MURDERER.

I am sorry to inform this painful news.

Mustafa

I AM AN ERMENIAN!