TURKEY

Before the hearing of the public officials as part of Dink case started, Friends of Hrant made a press statement in front of Istanbul Court House.

The trial of two groups that brought black wreaths to Agos on April 24, 2015 was started. The case was opened upon the complaint of Agos. The suspects stood trial on the ground that they threatened the newspaper.

“Sur Action Plan”, which was announced by Minister of Environment and Urban Planning Mehmet Özhaseki, has been criticized by NGOs and occupational organizations which are excluded from the process of project design. Referring to the plan, Chamber of Architects Diyarbakir Branch Chair Şerefhan Aydın says, “This is the first step of gaining unearned income and making benefits available.”

It is announced that Trans Pride March on June 19 and Pride March on June 26 in Istanbul will be held. After Orlando attack, there had been discussions whether the marches will be canceled.

Works of German theologian Lepsius, who sent reports to German politicians for warning them during the Armenian Genocide, revealed the fact that German officials had known the massacres but they hadn't done anything for preventing them. Director of Lepsius House Rolf Hosfeld talked about the influence of Lepsius' works on German society's current recognition and Germany's responsibility in the Armenian Genocide.

Vice President of Bundestag and Green Party member Claudia Roth wrote about the debates between Turkey and Germany on Armenian Genocide law.

Various people and institutions from Turkey, notably President Erdoğan, have been expressing their reactions against Cem Özdemir, sometimes through insults and racist statements. We talked to Özdemir about the developments that took place after June 2.

In Istanbul, near a bus station in Beyazit, a car bomb attack targeting a police bus killed 11 people, 4 of them being civilians. 36 people are injured.

Today, in Agos' archive, we go back to 2005, when Germany brought the Armenian Genocide to the parliamentary agenda for the first time. Here is Hrant Dink's article “a German treat”*.

Agos editorial: the gap between the approaches of Turkey and Germany reveals not only genocide but also equally serious issues.