Murder of Turkish Journalist Highlights Country’s Free Speech Constraints
January 23, 2007
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According to the Toronto Daily News, Colgate University professor and expert in Armenian-Turkish affairs Peter Balakian calls the assassination of Turkish journalist Hrant Dink “yet another example of how far Turkey is from being a democracy.”  The Chicago Tribune reports that Dink was killed in “broad daylight” on a “busy downtown street.”

Journalists in Turkey are under constant scrutiny from the government, as they face jail time for “insulting Turkishness.”  Despite these laws, Dink “persisted in publishing articles and speaking openly about subject that are taboo in Turkey, and subsequently ended up on trial for these offenses.  

The report says that Dink’s killing continues a trend of violence against journalists: eighteen have been killed in Turkey over the last six years.  The article says there are currently around 77 journalists currently on trial in Turkey.   

Balakian calls Dink’s death “emblematic of the struggle for freedom of thought and expression people face under violent and repressive societies and governments all over the world.” 

The ChicagoTribune article said Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has condemned the murder, announcing three people had been detained in the case but offered no additional details.

References:

Chicago Tribune: Vocal Turkish journalist murdered

Toronto Daily News: Murder of Journalist in Turkey Threatens Democracy