III 

110TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. RES. 65 

Condemning the murder of Turkish-Armenian journalist and human rights 

advocate Hrant Dink and urging the people of Turkey to honor his 

legacy of tolerance. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

FEBRUARY 1, 2007 

Mr. BIDEN submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the 

Committee on Foreign Relations 

RESOLUTION 

Condemning the murder of Turkish-Armenian journalist and 

human rights advocate Hrant Dink and urging the people of Turkey to honor his legacy of tolerance. 

Whereas Hrant Dink was a respected, eloquent advocate for 

press freedom, human rights, and reconciliation; 

Whereas, in 1996, Mr. Dink founded the weekly bilingual 

newspaper Agos and, as the paper’s editor in chief, used 

the paper to provide a voice for Turkey’s Armenian community; 

Whereas Mr. Dink was a strong proponent of rapprochement 

between Turks and Armenians and worked diligently to 

improve relations between those communities; 


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•SRES 65 IS 

Whereas Mr. Dink’s commitment to democratic values, nonviolence, and freedom in the media earned him widespread recognition and numerous international awards; 

Whereas Mr. Dink was prosecuted under Article 301 of the 

Turkish Penal Code for speaking about the Armenian 

Genocide; 

Whereas, notwithstanding hundreds of threats to Mr. Dink’s 

life and safety, he remained a steadfast proponent of pluralism and tolerance; 

Whereas Mr. Dink was assassinated outside the offices of 

Agos in Istanbul, Turkey, on January 19, 2007; 

Whereas tens of thousands of people in Turkey of many 

ethnicities protested Mr. Dink’s killing and took to the 

streets throughout the country to honor his memory; 

Whereas the Government of Turkey has pledged to undertake 

a full investigation into the murder of Mr. Dink; 

Whereas the Prime Minister of Turkey, Recep Tayyip 

Erdogan, has stated that when Mr. Dink was shot, ‘‘a 

bullet was fired at freedom of thought and democratic life 

in Turkey’’; 

Whereas the Foreign Minister of Armenia, Vartan Oskanian, 

stated that Mr. Dink ‘‘lived his life in the belief that 

there can be understanding, dialogue and peace amongst 

peoples’’; and 

Whereas Mr. Dink’s tragic death affirmed the importance of 

promoting the values that he championed in life: Now, 

therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 


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•SRES 65 IS 

1 (1) condemns the murder of Hrant Dink as a 

2 shameful act of cowardice perpetrated with contempt 

3 for law, justice, and decency; 

4 (2) supports the pledge of the Government of 

5 Turkey to conduct an exhaustive investigation into 

6 the assassination of Mr. Dink and to prosecute those 

7 responsible; 

8 (3) urges the Government of Turkey to repeal 

9 Article 301 of the Turkish Penal Code and work 

10 diligently to foster a more open intellectual environ11 ment in the country that is conducive to the free ex12 change of ideas; 

13 (4) recognizes the decision of the Government 

14 of Turkey to invite senior Armenian religious and 

15 political figures to participate in memorial services 

16 for Mr. Dink; 

17 (5) calls on the Government of Turkey to act in 

18 the interest of regional security and prosperity and 

19 reestablish full diplomatic, political, and economic 

20 relations with the Government of Armenia; and 

21 (6) urges the people of Turkey to honor Mr. 

22 Dink’s legacy of tolerance. 

Æ 


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