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P 221401Z JUN 07
FM AMCONSUL ISTANBUL
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UNCLAS ISTANBUL 000538 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR EUR/SE 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PHUM PGOV TU
SUBJECT: ARTICLE 301 CONTINUES TO HAUNT DINK FAMILY 
 
REF: A. 06 ANKARA 5711 
     ¶B. 05 ISTANBUL 1780 
     ¶C. ANKARA 0144 
 
¶1.  (SBU) Summary: Hrant Dink's son Arat, a managing editor 
at the Armenian-language weekly newspaper his father founded, 
and another "Agos" colleague were acquitted on June 14 of 
charges associated with "attempting to influence the 
judiciary."  The same court postponed the hearing of a more 
controversial Article 301 case against the two defendants 
until July 18; perhaps conveniently subordinating press 
coverage of the trial to that of the July 22 parliamentary 
elections.  End summary. 
 
¶2.  (SBU) On September 18, 2006 a prosecutor in Istanbul's 
Sisli District filed charges against the management of the 
Armenian language weekly "Agos" newspaper for allegedly 
violating Turkish Penal Code Articles 11 (libel) and 301 
(insulting "Turkishness") (ref A).  The charges against Hrant 
Dink, his son Arat and Serkis Seropyan stemmed from an Agos 
article by an unnamed author, entitled "One Signature Against 
301," which quotes Hrant Dink's July 2006 comments to Reuters 
on the 1915 Armenian massacre, "Of course I say this is a 
genocide because the result already defines itself and names 
itself.  You see that a people that had been living in this 
land for more than 4000 years ceased to exist after these 
incidents."  In addition to this case, the three had been 
charged in December 2005 in a separate incident for allegedly 
"attempting to influence the judiciary" by publishing a piece 
which criticized Hrant Dink's October 2005 Article 
301-related conviction (ref B). 
 
¶3.  (SBU) The first hearing associated with both cases was to 
have taken place in February, however it was postponed 
following Hrant Dink's assassination on January 19 (ref C). 
The indictments against Hrant Dink were formally dropped 
posthumously in March, however his son Arat -- a managing 
editor at the newspaper -- and Arat's supervisor Serkis 
Seropyan continued to face charges.  The Sisli First Instance 
Court #2 convened on June 14 to hear the two cases and 
acquitted Arat Dink and Seropyan the "attempting to influence 
the judiciary" charges.  The court postponed until July 18 
the hearing for the remaining case, including the Article 301 
charges. 
 
¶4.  (SBU) Meanwhile, press reported on June 22 that the Dink 
family had received official approval to establish the 
International Hrant Dink Foundation.  Hrant Dink's immediate 
family members, including his wife Rakel and son Arat, will 
form the Foundation's board.  The Foundation's headquarters 
will be in Istanbul, with additional offices abroad. 
 
¶5.  (SBU) Comment: While the acquittal on the December 2005 
charge is a positive development, it is the Article 301 
charge that focuses the international spotlight on Turkey. 
Though postponements are not unusual in Turkey, the new 
hearing date is suspiciously close to the July 22 general 
elections; media coverage of the case may be overshadowed by 
election reporting.  End comment. 
JONES