KHRP strongly condemns the murder of Armenian journalist Hrant Dink, who was shot dead outside the offices of his newspaper AGOS in Istanbul this afternoon.

An outspoken advocate of multiculturalism and human rights in Turkey , Dink had been prosecuted on several occasions for ‘denigrating the Turkish character' under both the old, and the current Penal Codes. He was most recently handed down a six-month suspended sentence in October of last year, which he went on to challenge in the European Court .

In December 2005 he joined Stuart Kerr of the KHRP Legal Team in its observation of the trial of Orhan Pamuk on similar charges. In KHRP's report on this trial, it was observed that Dink's experiences, like Pamuk's, demonstrate the degree to which Turkey 's draconian freedom of expression laws ‘expose journalists to a real risk of imprisonment.' Sadly, in Hrant Dink's case it seems the risk was far greater. Indeed, during his trial he had on several occasions informed the prosecutors of death threats against him, but failed to secure any form of state protection.

In reaction to today's news, Kerim Yildiz, KHRP Executive Director stated ‘The murder today of Mr. Dink, a much-respected campaigner for the civil, political and cultural rights of all of Turkey 's citizens, is a setback for progress and democracy in Turkey . KHRP calls for an immediate investigation into the murder and for the public to be fully informed of its outcome'.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION:

Kurdish Human Rights Project
11 Guilford Street, London, WC1N 1DH
Tel: 020 7405 3835
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