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

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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