Defendants: Arat Dink

Media Outlet and Position: Agos Newspaper – Executive editor, Journalist

Accusations: Spreading terrorist propaganda

Possible sentence: –

Court: İstanbul 36. High Criminal Court

Case Background: 

Arat Dink, the executive editor of Armenian newspaper Agos, faces charges of “spreading terrorist propaganda” for his public support to the “Petition of Academicians for Peace” because of which hundreds of academicians in Turkey have been prosecuted for the same charges. Dink is the son of prominent Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink who was murdered in 2007, gunned down on the street by 17-year-old Ogün Samast, who told later that Dink was “portrayed in the headlines as if he was guilty of being a traitor”.

The petition was calling Turkish authorities to stop military operations and clashes with the outlawed PKK in southeastern Turkey between 2015-2016. Academicians across the country signed the petition, saying “we will not be part of this crime” to raise their voice to condemn violence against civilians in the region during the conflicts. Mass criminal prosecutions followed the petition, handing down one year three months jail sentence to each academician on the charges of terrorist propaganda.

Dink has declared his full support to the petition with 17 others including journalist Ceyda Karan, tv anchor Bülent Deniz, and others. The public prosecutor has filed prosecution against all 18 supporters separately.

During Dink’s first hearing on June 20, Dink’s lawyers requested the judicial panel to recuse in this case on the ground that they believed the judges  panel has lost its impartiality. Dink’s lawyers also requested Dink’s full acquittal of all charges. The panel rejected both requests, adjourned the next hearing until October 9, 2019.

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