[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 1]
[House]
[Pages 438-439]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                         TRIBUTE TO HRANT DINK

  (Mr. ROYCE asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute.)
  Mr. ROYCE. Mr. Speaker, I am rising today to recognize the 1-year 
anniversary of the brutal murder of Hrant

[[Page 439]]

Dink, the newspaper editor and leading figure in the Armenian genocide 
debate in Turkey.
  On January 19, 2007, freedom of speech suffered a setback as Dink was 
shot outside his office in Istanbul. As a Turkish citizen of Armenian 
descent, Dink had gained notoriety in Turkish society for the court 
cases brought against him in which he faced jail time for simply 
talking of the Armenian genocide.
  While many will give speeches to remember Hrant Dink, the most 
meaningful tribute would be a rescinding of article 301 of the Turkish 
penal code that outlaws ``insults to Turkishness.''
  Under this law, journalists like Dink and Nobel Laureate Orhan Pamuk 
continue to be persecuted by draconian laws that seek to stifle debate 
or discussion on matters that could be seen as insulting to Turkish 
identity. It is my sincere hope that the Turkish government will use 
this occasion to reflect upon this restrictive article and rescind it 
before it does more harm.

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