Epress.am News from Armenia
Correspondent for the Vatan daily in Ankara and author of the book “Hrant Dink’s Murder: Media, Judiciary and State”, Kemal Göktaş, was awarded the Metin Göktepe Journalism Award 2011, for an article published on Aug. 14, 2010, in Vatan. The article was on the Dink v. Turkey trial at the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR).
Recall, in Sept. 2010, the ECHR ruled that Turkish authorities violated Dink’s right to life (and lack of an effective investigation – Article 2), freedom of expression (Article 10) and right to an effective remedy (Article 13 in conjunction with Article 2) of the European Convention on Human Rights.
Göktaş accepted the prize on Sunday evening in Istanbul. This year, the jury decided to dedicate the award to Hrant Dink’s friends Nedim Şener, author of the book “Red Friday Who Broke Dink’s Pen?” and Ahmet Şık. Both journalists were recently arrested on charges of their alleged affiliation to Ergenekon. Note, both also previously were awarded the Metin Göktepe Journalism Award.
Speaking to Epress.am before the award ceremony, Göktaş stressed the importance of the fact that the prize is awarded to an article that describes the position of the Turkish government in the Hrant Dink murder trial.
“It is important that this prize is given to an article which mentions the real aim of the state in the Hrant Dink murder case. Göktepe was beaten by police and died. He has become the symbol of opposition journalists. Those who murdered Göktepe bore official [police] uniforms; maybe Hrant Dink’s murders didn’t have those uniforms, but both are the result of the same dark conspiracy,” said Göktaş.
Göktaş also expressed confidence that the the country’s government is behind the Hrant Dink murder.
“We don’t hesitate that there is an AKP and deep state coalition in the Hrant Dink murder case,” he said.
Note, Kemal Göktaş came to Armenia in 2009 with the Hrant Dink Foundation Turkey-Armenia Journalist Dialogue Project.