HRANT DINK MEMORIAL SERVICES INSPIRE TURKISH

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ISTANBUL 000061 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR EUR/SE E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/24/2017 TAGS: PHUM PGOV PREL TU AM SUBJECT: HRANT DINK MEMORIAL SERVICES INSPIRE TURKISH SOLIDARITY BUT WILL IT LAST? REF: A. ISTANBUL 0038 ¶B. ISTANBUL 0044 ¶C. 06 ISTANBUL 1717 ¶D. ISTANBUL 0042 ¶E. ANKARA 0144 Classified By: Ambassador Ross Wilson for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) ¶1. (C) Summary: The Ambassador and Consulate staff joined tens of thousands of Turkish citizens of various ethnicities, along with a significant international audience at memorial and funeral services for Turkish-Armenian human rights advocate Hrant Dink, murdered January 19 in front of his Agos weekly newspaper office building (ref A). Security was heavy, in part in response to charges by some that the Government failed to protect Dink, who received numerous threats following his conviction for insulting Turkishness under Turkish Penal Code Article 301. The feeling of solidarity among the mourners was evident, both through the "We are all Hrant" signs they carried and in the prevailing mood of shared national responsibility. During meetings with the Archbishop of the Armenian Church of America Khajag Barsamyan and the Armenian "Patriarch of Istanbul and all of Turkey" Mesrob II, Ambassador described the measures he had encouraged the GOT to take in order to make the most of the tragedy to advance freedom of speech and reconciliation efforts between Turkey and neighboring Armenia. Ambassador also urged Armenian DFM Kirakossian to work with Turkey to finalize agreement on a joint commission(s). End Summary. ¶2. (SBU) We joined tens of thousands of mourners (many papers reported up to 100,000) on January 23 in front of Agos headquarters, where Dink served as editor-in-chief of the Turkish-Armenian weekly he founded in 1995 (ref B). Security was tight as hundreds of police swat teams lined Halaskargazi Street while snipers scanned the area from the rooftops of the buildings flanking the boulevard. Police searched those who came to recognize Dink's life and human rights contributions by marching the four miles from Agos headquarters to the Armenian Patriarchate's St. Mary's church where funeral services were held later that afternoon. The unusually warm and sunny January day was a stark contrast to the solemn mood dictated by the circumstances associated with Dink's death. ¶3. (SBU) Though the Dink family had asked that there be no banners at the event, mourners carried small signs stating "We are all Hrant" and "301 Kills", among other slogans. Dink's widow delivered a stirring and emotional speech, honoring her fallen husband while carrying on his message of peace and reconciliation. Another speaker repeatedly stated, "let this be a lesson" while Dink's family released a series of peace doves just before the hearse began its four mile journey to St. Mary's. Mourners followed chanting, "We are all Hrant, we are all Armenians" to the somber sound of an Armenian dirge. ¶4. (C) In contrast to the single-issue groups normally participating in demonstrations here, this crowd included people from all walks of life, all ages, beliefs and gender, in a unified show of respect and an outpouring of emotion. The majority was comprised of middle and upper class people, with an unusually high proportion of women -- and no headscarves. Istanbul's intellectual and cultural elites were among those present, including Dink's friend and fellow Article 301 target Elif Shafak (ref C). A number of business elites later told us they would have joined but feared creating additional security targets and concerns. ¶5. (C) Meeting in advance of the funeral service, the Ambassador told visiting Archbishop of the Armenian Church of America Khajag Barsamyan that he had encouraged the GOT to respond to Dink's murder by taking action to get a joint commission process started on history and other issues, to work toward reopening the border, and to change Article 301 of the Penal Code (which criminalizes "insulting Turkishness"). Barsamyan told the Ambassador that Armenian Catholicos Karekin II planned to attend the opening of the restored Church of the Holy Cross on Akdamar island in Van Province currently scheduled for April 15. A larger pilgrimage of Armenian-Americans might take place at the same time. Ambassador suggested making a push on the GOT to permit the Catholicos to travel directly by land to the opening ceremony, across the closed border, which would be a tangible step forward. ¶6. (C) The Ambassador also spoke briefly with Armenian Patriarch of Istanbul and all of Turkey Mesrob II. Mesrob, who was visibly moved during the ceremony itself, told the Ambassador that the Armenian community was frightened and on ISTANBUL 00000061 002 OF 002 edge. He faulted elements within the "deep state" for encouraging and even supporting the behavior of young men such as the one who'd murdered Dink, and added that until the GOT removed from its school textbooks the "hateful and untrue" statements regarding Armenians, Turks of Armenian ancestry would be vulnerable to similar hate crimes. ¶7. (C) We accompanied approximately 1500 people at the funeral services inside St. Mary's Church, with many thousands more paying their respects outside. Notably absent from the 45-minute service led by Mesrob was the Foreign Minister, who we and others had been led to believe would attend. Prime Minister Erdogan also declined to attend, citing the visit of Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi. Instead, Deputy Prime Minister Mehmet Ali Sahin and Interior Minister Abdulkadir Aksu represented the Government, accompanied by a number of ruling Justice and Development (AKP) parliamentarians and Istanbul Mayor Kadir Topbas. The opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) sent its Deputy Secretary General, Mehmet Sevigen. In an important overture, SIPDIS Armenian Deputy Foreign Minister Arman Kirakossian traveled to Istanbul for the ceremony, and later met with his Turkish counterpart after speaking by phone with FM Gul. Armenia's Istanbul based Black Sea Economic Cooperation representative Karen Mirzoyan and presidential advisor Samson Ozarat also attended. Ambassador spoke briefly with Kirakossian and Mirzoyan to urge that Armenia work with Turkey to conclude discussions dating back to early 2005 on establishing a joint commission(s) to deal with history and prepare the ground for the normalization of relations. Kirakossian responded positively, but made no commitments. ¶8. (C) Comment: Ironically, in seeking to silence Hrant Dink, those responsible for his death only amplified his message. The tremendous public response suggests his message was clearly heard; how long it resonates is now the million dollar question. Still, the somber, respectful and contemplative atmosphere at the Agos ceremony suggested solidarity in the realization, as many columnists have written this week, that rising Turkish nationalism was to blame for Dink's death. JONES