Three Years Imprisonment for Threatening Agos Newspaper

The editor-in-chief of the Turkish-Armenian weekly Agos newspaper, Hrant Dink, was murdered on 19 January 2007. Twelve days later, Zafer Filiz sent racist and threatening messages to the Agos newspaper. The newspaper then filed a complaint with the prosecution.

3 years imprisonment 

On 20 March the Sisli Penal Court in Istanbul sentenced Filiz to three years imprisonment, two years for threatening, and one year for insulting. The punishment was not deferred.

Filiz had sworn at Armenians and said, “Remember, we have more Catlis and Samasts,” referring to Abdullah Catli, a famous mafia leader, and Ogün Samast, the young man accused of shooting Hrant Dink.

Sentence welcomed by newspaper's lawyer

Fethiye Cetin, lawyer for the Agos newspaper, told bianet that “we find the punishment for the sentences targeting Armenians to have received a sentence without reduction or deferment.”

She also found it positive that the court decree emphasised that the accused used the frightening power created by an existing criminal organisation.

2nd case in same court 

The same court had sentenced 19-year-old Ridvan Dogan to a deferred two years imprisonment in October 2007 because he had sent a threatening email to Agos. The sentence was deferred because he expressed regret and had no previous convictions.

In January 2008, the International Hrant Dink Foundation was sent email messages containing death threats.

Lawyer Cetin filed a criminal complaint with the Sisli Prosecution in Istanbul on 22 January, demanding the identification and punishment of the person(s) who had sent the messages. (EÖ/GG/AG)