23 August 2010
No official statement has been released yet but reports said ECHR has ruled in favour of murdered journalist
The European Court of Human Rights has ruled in favor of the family of slain journalist Hrant Dink, finding Turkey guilty of violating the right to life and freedom of expression, according to reports published by Turkish media Sunday. The European court is expected to make its official announcement in September.
Dink was an Armenian-Turkish journalist and editor of weekly bilingual Agos. He was murdered in January 2007 in front of his newspaper's office in Istanbul. Before his death, he had filed an appeal with the European court after he was tried for violating Article 301 of the Turkish Penal Code, which prohibits "insulting Turkishness."
According to the reports the court ruled that Turkey violated the freedom of expression by trying Dink for insulting Turkishness and violated the right to life by failing to protect Dink despite death threats. The court also condemned the inefficiency of the legal proceedings that took place after the journalist's death.
ANF / ISTANBUL
ANF NEWS AGENCY
